The Coastal Fieldwork Task
Geographers do not just read about coasts, they go and measure them. Investigate how a real beach changes, using your own quantitative and qualitative data and the six-stage enquiry process.
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Down at the coast 🌊
Geographers do not just read about coasts, they go and measure them. In the coastal fieldwork task you investigate how a real beach changes, and collect your own data to answer a question. This module explores the methods you use and the enquiry process you follow.
Words to know 🔑
Four ideas run through this topic:
Measure or describe? 🎯
Which of these is a quantitative method in coastal fieldwork?
- Measuring the size of pebbles along the beach
- Sketching the shape of a cliff
- Describing how the beach looks
- Taking a photo of a headland
Two kinds of data ⚖️
A good enquiry uses both kinds of data.
Match the stage 🔗
- Formulate a question
- Collect the data
- Present the data
- Draw a conclusion
- Decide what you want to find out
- Measure the beach and record landforms
- Draw graphs, maps and diagrams
- State what the evidence shows
Measuring a beach 🏖️
To measure a beach profile, work up the beach in steps, measuring the gradient of each part with a clinometer and a tape. To study the sediment, measure the long axis of a sample of pebbles with calipers, and note how rounded they are. These give numbers you can compare.
Find the mean 🔢
An interactive activity.
On the beach ✅
Which THREE would you do in a coastal fieldwork task?
- Measure the size of the pebbles
- Sketch the landforms you see
- Use a geology map as a secondary source
- Guess the results without measuring
- Ignore any data that surprises you
Pebble size along the beach 📈
An interactive activity.
The enquiry process 🪜
An interactive activity.
Complete the idea 🧩
In the coastal fieldwork task you collect your own _____ data by going out and measuring. Measuring the gradient and the _____ of the pebbles gives numbers to analyse. Sketching the cliffs and headlands gives _____ data. A geology map from the BGS is a _____ source. A good enquiry ends by drawing an evidenced _____.
True or not? 🖍️
An interactive activity.
Field choices 🧭
An interactive activity.
Plan the enquiry ✍️
An interactive activity.