GCSE Geography - West Wittering Fieldwork

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GCSE Edexcel Geography A Paper 3 Coastal Fieldwork for West Wittering

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65 Terms

1
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What question will you aim to answer

How and why does the beach profile change along West Wittering beach

2
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What is your hypothesis

The beach at West Wittering will become steeper and have larger sediment particles closer to the high tide mark, and flatter with finer materials near the low tide mark

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What are you basing this hypothesis on?

Waves sort out sediment by size and longshore drift. Heavier material is deposited higher up the beach and West Wittering also faces the English Channel where wave energy is sufficient

4
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Name 3 hazards presented

Tide changes, strong currents/deep water and slips, trips and falls

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Explain the hazard ‘tide changes’ and how to reduce the risk

risk of becoming stranded if working near east head during rising tide. check tide times in advance and stick to safe areas and set clear return times

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Explain the hazard ‘strong currents/deepwater and how to reduce the risk

risk of drowning/being swept away when water near the harbour or high tide. stay away from water’s edge and stick to supervised groups and don’t enter the sea

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Explain the hazard ‘slips, trips and falls’

uneven grounds, wet rocks or soft sand is a trip hazard. wear sturdy footwear, stick to designated paths and watch footing

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What are the 3 sampling strategies?

Random Systematic and stratified

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Give the definition of random sampling

random samples are chosen randomly, using a random number generator

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Give the definition of systematic sampling

systematic samples are collected based on a system, e.g. every 10 metres

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Give the definition of stratified sampling

stratified sampling is used when you need to ensure that all the different parts of a population are represented

12
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Give the advantages of random sampling

-Simple and easy to interpret
-Reduces bias by giving all locations equal chance

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Disadvantages of random sampling?

-Can miss key areas by chance
-May not be representative if sample size is small

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Advantages of systematic?

-Easy to carry out in the field
-Ensures even coverage across the study area

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Disadvantages of systematic?

-Can introduce bias if there’s a pattern in the environment matching the interval
-Less random, so may miss variability

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Advantages of stratified?

-Ensures all sub areas are represented
-More accurate and representative results

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Disadvantages of stratified?

-More complex to design
-Requires prior knowledge of strata boundaries

18
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What is opportunistic sampling

sampling wherever it is possible to do so

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what sampling did we use for beach morphology and sediment characteristics(quantitative)

random sampling and then collect data systematically in a line

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what sampling did we use for coastal landforms(qualitative)

opportunistic sampling by picking a location that worked best for us

21
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List the steps taken for the beach profile

1)Set up a transect along the beach marking points very 5m from high to low tide using ranging poles
2)Use a clinometer to measure the slope angle at each point
3)Record all measurements in a table and plot a beach profile graph

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Why did you do this for beach morphology

To measure changes in beach gradient along the shore, which helps us identify how the beach profile changes and supports our hypothesis

23
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List the steps taken for sediment characteristics

1)Place a quadrat along each sampling point on the transect
2)Collect sediment samples within the quadrat and classify the sediments by size
3)Estimate the percentage of each sediment type and record data in a table and in a bar graph

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Why did you do this for sediment characteristics

To analyse how sediment size and type changes along the beach which helps explore patterns in deposition and wave energy

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List the steps taken for the field-sketch of coastal landscapes

1)Choose a representative section of the beach showing key features
2)Make a pencil sketch of the coastline, showing the shape and position of landforms and add labels
3)Note additional details in annotations

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Why did we do this for the sketch

To visually record coastal landforms and their positions which supports understanding of processes and landforms

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What do we need to consider for our method of presenting data

-it should help us answer our enquiry question
-it won’t take too long or be too difficult to do accurately

-data should be presented in a way that is precise 

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What did we do for our method of beach morphology

-it shows how the beach changes with distance
-it’s simple to measure and data is collected quickly
-it shows slope angle and distinct changes

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What did we do for our method on sediment characteristics?

-It shows how sediment size varies along the beach
-Quadrat sampling is straightforward to carry out
-It shows differences and patterns and is easy to compare

30
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What did we do for coastal landforms

-It helps identify and describe coastal features
-it only needs simple equipment
-shows landforms with a suitable degree of accuracy for analysis

31
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How do coastal processes affect people living in West Wittering village

-erosion and flooding can damage homes
-changes to the coastline can affect wildlife
-coastal flooding can close roads or car parks making it harder to get to the beach and reducing tourism rates so local businesses may suffer
-visual impact of defences
-disruption during construction/maintenance

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How do coastal processes affect visitors/tourists

-clearer, safer beach with good access
-improved facilities
-restricted access to some areas
-reduced beach space due to erosion

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How do coastal processes affect government/taxpayers

-investment protects public and private property
-preserves natural assets
-shows commitment to public safety and environment
-high cost of management schemes
-may face criticism over unpopular decisions
-limited direct benefit for those not living near the coast

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what is the enquiry question

how does beach morphology and sediment characteristics vary across West Wittering

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what errors could’ve been made in data collection

-clinometer is not always accurate when measuring angles
-not accounting for break of slope as we did systematic sampling
-human activity changes the gradient of the slope
-different people judge sediment size in different ways

-only a limited number of quadrats and beach profiles were taken so it doesn’t represent the whole beach

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what is a measurement error

mistakes made when collecting data

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when is a operator error

differences in results collected by different people

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what is a sampling error

where a sample is biased or some elements of the population are less likely to be induced than others

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40
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describe the reliability of: sample size

not many samples taken so it’s not representative of the whole beach

41
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describe the reliability of: sampling strategy

systematic sampling is less random and more consistent

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describe the reliability of: time of day/year

tides change throughout the day affecting landform

43
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describe the reliability of: location

different locations have varying characteristics along the beach

44
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describe the reliability of: equipment

faulty equipment leads to unreliable data collection

45
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describe the reliability of: subjective or objective

data like field sketches were subjective whereas slope angle and sediment size was objective, making the data reliable

46
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describe the reliability of: human activity

human activity affects the landform disturbing readings

47
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how was the accuracy for beach morphology

-used systematic sampling to eliminate bias

48
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how was the accuracy for sediment characteristics

-did regular intervals of sampling so it was fairly accurate

49
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how was the accuracy for coastal landforms

sketch is vague and unclear but partially accurate and is subjective

50
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how was the reliability of beach morphology

-fairly reliable way of showing the gradient of the beach, repeated measurements made the data reliable

51
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how was the reliability of sediment characteristics

-fairly reliable way of seeing the different portions of sediments through systematic sampling but was subjective, reducing reliability

52
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describe the reliability of coastal landforms

-reliability is limited since another person may draw it differently

53
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describe the validity of beach morpology

-data is valid as it directly measures change in beach shape linking to the enquiry question, the method represents real coastal processes

54
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describe the validity of sediment characteristics

-sediment size and type are directly linked to coastal processes so the data’s valid and relates to the hypothesis

55
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describe the validity of coastal landforms

-valid since it clearly shows coastal features linking to coastal processes and supporting my hypothesis

56
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state any improvements for beach morphology

-get a straight line between the ranging poles
-get multiple readings at different tide stages

57
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state any improvements for sediment characteristics

-larger quadrat
-take multiple readings
-use more precise equipment

58
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state any improvements for coastal landforms

-draw a better and clearer drawing and annotate it
-do a rough sketch first
-draw it inside(away from the wind)
-use photographs or labelled digital sketches

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