GCSE Geography Fieldwork- Walton on the Naze

What are the 5 factors that need to be considered when selecting a suitable question?

1. Directly links to a geographical theme

2. Directly links to a geographical theory/concept

3. Be achievable

4. Include sub-questions or aims

5. Have a relevant hypothesis

What is our enquiry question for Walton?

How have groynes affected long shore drift at Walton on the Naze?

What are the 5 factors that need to be considered when selecting a suitable question?

1. Directly links to a geographical theme

2. Directly links to a geographical theory/concept

3. Be achievable

4. Include sub-questions or aims

5. Have a relevant hypothesis

What is our enquiry question for Walton?

How have groynes affected long shore drift at Walton on the Naze?

What is the geographical theme?

UK Physical Landscapes: Coasts

What is the geographical theory/concept?

Longshore drift and coastal management

Give the three sub questions of Walton on the Naze

1. In what direction is longshore drift traveling at Walton on the Naze?

2. Is there a difference in beach width on defended and undefended section of Walton on the Naze?

3. Is there a difference in height towards the South and North of the Groyne?

Justify the sub question ‘Is there a difference in height towards the South and North of the Groyne’

Groyne trap material that is transported by long shore drift. Prevailing wind causes swash to approach at an angle, meaning that when sediment hits the Groyne, it is deposited. This material accumulates making the beach height higher on one side of the Groyne.

What is primary data?

Information that you collect yourself

Define secondary data

Information that someone else has previously collected and made available.

What is quantitative data?

Usually consists of factual information that can be counted and used in fieldwork

Define Qualitative Data

More opinion based than quantitative data, but still useful in geographical investigations

Name the erosional landform at Walton on the Naze

Wave cut platform

Name two coastal defenses at Walton on the Naze

Groynes and a sea wall

Use two justifications of your chosen location (Walton on the Naze)

It is accessible (only 1 hour by coach) and there is a low risk of injury at this location.

What are the three main potential risks at Walton on the Naze?

Slips, Trips and Falls, Adverse Weather and drowning.

Why are slips, trips and falls a risk at Walton on the Naze?

There is uneven ground and wet rocks making it slippy.

Why is adverse weather a risk at Walton on the Naze?

It is an open and unsheltered location.

Why is drowning a risk at Walton on the Naze?

As it is a coastline where the sea is

How do you reduce the risk of Slips, Trips and Falls?

Wear appropriate footwear, and do not run.

How do you reduce the risk of Adverse Weather?

Appropriate clothing, and check the weather forecast before you leave.

How do you reduce the risk of drowning?

Do not go within a meter of the sea.

Why is important to use a sampling technique?

To ensure your data is unbiased, can be collected in a time conscious way and creates the best representation of the area.

What are the three types of sampling?

Random sampling, stratified sampling and Systematic sampling

Define random sampling

A technique where each member of the population is equally likely to be included

Define Stratified sampling

This is where a proportionate number of observations is taken from each part of the population

Define Systematic sampling

This is where observations are taken at regular intervals

Describe how we evaluated the Longshore drift direction at Walton on the Naze

• drop orange into swash and mark location

• Time one minute

• Measure distance orange has moved and in which direction after one minute

What sampling technique did we use to evaluate the direction of long shore drift?

We used stratified sampling, by measuring at the managed and unmanaged areas of Walton on the Naze

Why did we measure Long shore drift direction at Walton on the Naze? Why Stratified Sampling?

LSD is one of the key theories our enquiry is based on, so we need to understand its direction, and confirm it is happening in the area, as it will have an effect on the beach.

How did we measure beach height at groynes at Walton on the Naze?

• Measure the length of the Groyne to work out the middle

• Measure the distance from top of Groyne to beach

• Repeat this at the top, middle and bottom of the Groyne and on both sides

• Do this every 4th Groyne

What type of sampling do we use to measure beach height at Walton on the Naze?

Systematic Sampling

Why do we measure the beach height at the groynes?

If the beach is higher on one side of the Groyne than the other then it would suggest that the groynes are successful

How do we measure beach width at Walton on the Naze?

• Measure distance from bottom of cliff face/sea wall to 1m from sea using tape measure

• Ensure tape is flat

What type of sampling do we use to measure beach width at Walton on the Naze?

Systematic sampling

Why do we measure the beach width at Walton on the Naze?

As the beach should be wider at the managed section than the unmanaged section if the groynes are being successful at building up the beach.

How do we take an annotated field photograph?

Take a photograph and add annotations to explain the main features in two comparative locations, ensure that it includes evidence of erosion, geology, coastal management and land-use

Why do we take annotated field photographs at Walton on the Naze?

To visually show the difference in the two areas, one being managed with Groynes and a sea wall and one being unmanaged.

How did the beach width compare at the managed and unmanaged sections of Walton on the Naze?

The beach width was much larger at the area with groynes. (Low 30’s v.s High 40’s)

Which side of the Groynes were higher, the north or the south?

South

Give some features of the annotated Field Photograph of the UNmanaged section of Walton on the Naze?

Cracks where hydraulic action takes place, Scree, Pill box which used to be on the cliff and Waterfall due to permeable rock

Give some feature of the annotated field photograph at the MANAGED section of Walton on the Naze

Groynes, wide beach and beach huts

What is our beach height presentation method for Walton on the Naze?

A Bar Graph

What is our beach width presentation method for Walton on the Naze?

Located proportional Symbols

Why did we use a bar graph to show the beach height at groynes?

As we wanted to be able to compare the data from the north and south side of the Groyne.

What are two steps we made when presenting our bar graph on beach height in order to present our data in the most useful way?

1. We calculated the mean to rule out anomalies

2. We drew the three graphs side by side to show us the overall trend for the Groyne height data

Why did we use located proportional symbols for measuring beach width?

As we wanted to visually see how the width of the beach varies across the coast. At the managed area we expect the beach to be wider for example

Which way did we find that LSD was going? Why?

We found that longshore drift was going from South to North as the beach was more built up on the south side of the groynes as they trap the sediment transported by LSD.

Was the beach width higher at the managed or unmanaged section of Walton on the Naze?

The managed section because the sediment build up as a result of the groynes.

What is the name of the managed beach at Walton on the Naze?

Jubilee Beach

What is the name of the unmanaged beach at Walton on the Naze?

Crag Walk

Give one problem with our method of evaluating direction of LSD

We only know the direction of LSD on that day and this may not be representative of LSD and prevailing wind. This means our conclusions are fairly reliable but not certain.

Give one problem with our method of measuring beach height at groynes

We only measure the height at 3 groynes and there were many others we did not measure. Furthermore the tide was still going out as we didn’t measure each Groyne at the same time, making it an unfair test.

Give one problem with our method of measuring beach width at Walton on the Naze

We measured the two beaches at different times. The tide was further out at Jubilee Beach, making it an unfair comparison, and a fairly unreliable result.