The River Fieldwork Task
Geographers do not just read about rivers, they go and measure them. Learn the methods for investigating how a river channel changes, and the six-stage enquiry process that turns your data into a conclusion.
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Down by the river 🌊
Geographers do not just read about rivers, they go and measure them. In the river fieldwork task you investigate how a real river channel 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 river fieldwork?
- Measuring the width and depth of the channel
- Sketching the shape of a waterfall
- Describing how the river looks
- Taking a photo of the bank
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 river and record landforms
- Draw graphs, maps and diagrams
- State what the evidence shows
Measuring discharge 💧
Discharge is the amount of water flowing past a point each second. To find it, measure the width and the average depth of the channel to get its area, then measure how fast the water flows. Discharge is width times depth times velocity, in cubic metres per second.
Find the discharge 🔢
An interactive activity.
On the riverbank ✅
Which THREE would you do in a river fieldwork task?
- Measure the discharge of the river
- Sketch the landforms you see
- Use a flood-risk map as a secondary source
- Guess the results without measuring
- Ignore any data that surprises you
Downstream discharge 📈
An interactive activity.
The enquiry process 🪜
An interactive activity.
Complete the idea 🧩
In the river fieldwork task you collect your own _____ data by going out and measuring. Measuring the width, depth and velocity lets you work out the _____ of the river. Sketching the landforms gives _____ data. A flood-risk map from the Environment Agency 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.