Option 7A (physical): Coastal landscapes fieldwork

Welcome to Coastal Fieldwork!

Fieldwork is one of the most exciting parts of Geography because it gets you out of the classroom and onto the beach! For Paper 3 (Geographical Investigations), you need to study one physical environment. If your school chose Option 7A: Coastal landscapes, these notes are for you.

In the exam, you will be asked about the fieldwork you carried out. You might also be given data from a "virtual" fieldwork trip and asked to process or evaluate it. We will break this down into the six official enquiry stages you need to know.

Stage 1: Framing Questions and Hypotheses

Before heading to the coast, you need a plan. Geographers start with an enquiry question or a hypothesis (a prediction you can test).

Common coastal hypotheses:
1. "Beach sediment size decreases as you move further away from the cliffs."
2. "Longshore drift is moving material from West to East along the beach."
3. "The coastal management (like groynes) is effective at catching sediment."

Quick Tip: A good hypothesis must be "investigable." This means you must be able to measure it with the equipment you have!

Stage 2: Data Collection Methods

To test your hypothesis, you need three types of data: Quantitative (numbers), Qualitative (descriptions/opinions), and Secondary (info collected by someone else).

Quantitative Methods (The Numbers)

1. Beach Profiles: You use ranging poles and a clinometer to measure the slope of the beach. You measure the angle of the slope at every "break of slope" (where the angle changes).
2. Sediment Analysis: You pick up pebbles at set intervals (e.g., every 2 metres). You use callipers to measure the "long axis" (length) in millimetres \( (mm) \) and a Powers' Roundness Scale to see how smooth they are.
3. Measuring Longshore Drift: You can use a float (like an orange or a cork). You place it in the waves and time how far it moves along the shore in 5 minutes using a stopwatch and a tape measure.

Qualitative Methods (The Descriptions)

1. Field Sketches: Drawing the coastline and annotating it (adding labels that explain processes). For example, labeling a "stack" or "sea wall."
2. Bi-polar Surveys: Assessing coastal management. You might score a sea wall from \( -3 \) (ugly/broken) to \( +3 \) (attractive/strong).

Secondary Data

You must use data you didn't collect yourself. Examples include:
- Geology maps from the British Geological Survey to see what rock the cliffs are made of.
- Historical photographs or old maps to see how much the coastline has eroded over 50 years.

Sampling Strategies

You can't measure every single pebble on a beach! You must use sampling:
- Systematic: Measuring at regular intervals (e.g., every 5 metres).
- Random: Using a random number generator to pick spots.
- Stratified: Sampling specific groups (e.g., making sure you measure both the managed and unmanaged parts of the beach).

Stage 3: Processing and Presenting Data

Once you have your numbers, you need to make them look clear. You might be asked to draw or complete these in the exam.

1. Beach Profile Cross-Section: A line graph showing the shape of the beach from the sea to the cliff.
2. Scatter Graphs: Great for showing relationships. For example, plotting "Distance from the sea" on the \( x \)-axis and "Pebble Size" on the \( y \)-axis.
3. Bar Charts: Useful for comparing the average pebble size at different parts of the beach.
4. Proportional Symbols: Drawing circles of different sizes on a map to show where the largest waves or pebbles are.

Stage 4: Analysing and Explaining Data

This is where you look for patterns. You might use some math skills here:

- Mean: The average (add all values and divide by the number of values).
- Range: The difference between the biggest and smallest value.
- Median: The middle value in an ordered list.

Example Analysis: "Our scatter graph showed a positive correlation. As we moved further from the sea, the pebble size increased. This might be because smaller pebbles are easily moved by the waves, leaving larger ones behind (a process called sorting)."

Wait, check your math! If you need to calculate percentage change in beach height over time, use this formula:
\( \text{Percentage change} = \frac{\text{new value} - \text{old value}}{\text{old value}} \times 100 \)

Stage 5: Drawing Evidenced Conclusions

Your conclusion should answer your original question from Stage 1. You must use evidence (actual numbers) from your results.

"In conclusion, my hypothesis was correct. Longshore drift is moving material East. This is proven by our groyne measurements: the sand was \( 1.2m \) higher on the West side of the groyne compared to the East side."

Stage 6: Evaluation (The "Reflection" Stage)

This is a very common exam topic. You need to say what went well and what didn't.

1. Reliability: If you did the test again, would you get the same result? (e.g., "The wind was very strong on the day we went, which might have made the longshore drift faster than usual.")
2. Validity: Did you actually measure what you meant to? (e.g., "An orange is a good float, but it can get caught in the wind rather than the current.")
3. Limitations: What stopped you from being perfect? (e.g., "We only had time to visit one beach, so we can't be sure the whole coastline behaves this way.")

Key Takeaway: Always suggest a solution for your limitations. If your sample size was too small, say "In future, I would take 100 measurements instead of 10 to make the mean more accurate."

Common Mistakes to Avoid

- Don't just describe: If the question asks you to "Explain," you must say why something happened (e.g., "The pebbles are rounder because of attrition").
- Don't forget units: If you are talking about sediment size, always use \( mm \). If it's a slope, use degrees \( (^\circ) \).
- Human Error: Don't just say "we made mistakes." Be specific, like "The ranging pole wasn't held perfectly straight because the sand was soft, which affected the clinometer reading."

Quick Review: The 6 Stages

1. Questions: What are we checking?
2. Methods: How are we measuring it?
3. Presentation: How can we graph it?
4. Analysis: What do the numbers mean?
5. Conclusions: Was the hypothesis right?
6. Evaluation: How could we do it better?

Note: For more information on the specific landforms you might see during fieldwork, see the chapter "Option 1A: Coastal landscapes and processes."