Investigating rural landscapes- Rivers

Question 1

What was the enquiry question?

Answer 1

To investigate how the characteristics of the River Chess changed downstream

Question 2

2 locations in the River Chess and their course?

Answer 2

Chesham Moor- upper course
Scotsbridge Mill- lower course

Question 3

Describe the location of the River Chess
2 reasons location is suitable

Answer 3

In Hertfordshire, tributary of River Colne
-Local area, easy to travel to, not too deep

Question 4

2 hypotheses

Answer 4

-Width will increase from source to mouth, increase in lateral erosion
-Velocity will increase from source to mouth, increased discharge, less friction

Question 5

3 methods of data collection

Answer 5

Width
Velocity
Field sketch

Question 6

Width
Describe?
Explain?
Ads and dis?

Answer 6

Two people stand at each end of river bank, taught measuring tape just above water between them, record width at each site
Shows lateral erosion
Ad- quantitative, easy to see changes
Dis- vegetation made it hard to reach edge of bank

Question 7

Velocity
Describe?
Explain?
Ads and dis?

Answer 7

Measure 10m down river, drop cork at start point, time until it reaches end. Divide 10 by seconds, repeat 5 times
Show less friction due to lateral erosion
Ad- repetition improves accuracy
Dis- people moving can affect it

Question 8

Field sketch
Describe?
Explain?
Ads and dis?

Answer 8

Draw a diagram of the river and label key features
Show features like relief and river-cliffs
Ad- visual representation
Dis- could be misinterpreted w bad drawings

Question 9

Systematic sampling
Def?
How we used it? (river)
Ads & dis?

Answer 9

Samples at regular intervals
Depth along the width
Ad- Less errors as it is simple
Dis- Could be affected due to rocks

Question 10

Stratified sampling
Def?
How we used it? (river)
Ad & dis?

Answer 10

Taking a pattern into account
Site in upper and lower course
Ad- Can make comparisons between areas
Dis- Time consuming to plan

Question 11

Random sampling
How we used it? (river)
Ad & dis?

Answer 11

Picking a rock at each depth
Ad- representative
Dis- unconscious bias occurs

Question 12

2 hazards, their risks and preventions?

Answer 12

Drowning, could be injured, stay in shallow water
Slipping, could injure self, wear wellies

Question 13

3 methods of data presentation

Answer 13

Bar graph, line graph, field sketch

Question 14

Bar graph
Showed?
Ads & dis?

Answer 14

Width of River Chess at dif locations
Ad- quickly see increased width in lower course areas
Dis- hard to see specific readings,

Question 15

Line graph
Showed?
Ads & dis?

Answer 15

Velocity of River Chess at dif locations
Ad- quickly see increased velocity in lower course
Dis- hard to read exact amounts

Question 16

Field sketch
Showed?
Ads & dis?

Answer 16

Visible features of the river
Ads- visual representation of relief, meanders
Dis- non-numerical, harder to compare

Question 17

2 types of secondary data used and what they showed

Answer 17

Flood risk map- where to conduct investigation safely
Geology map- explained discharge due to permeability of rocks

Question 18

3 conclusions drawn?
Link to enquiry question?

Answer 18

-Velocity increased at Scotsbridge Mill (downstream) less friction, fits Bradshaw Model
-Depth increased at Scotsbridge Mill (downstream), fits Bradshaw Model, more vertical erosion
-Relief was less steep at Scotsbridge Mill (downstream), fits Bradshaw model

Question 19

How does the hypothesis help the investigation? (river)

Answer 19

“The width of the RIver Chess will increase from source to mouth”
This supported my understanding of the main aim of the investigation, by measuring the width at different locations along the river’s course. This allowed me to see if the changes aligned with the Bradshaw model.