River Fieldwork: Formulating Enquiry Questions (Edexcel GCSE Geography A)
Revision Note
Written by: Bridgette Barrett
Reviewed by: Jenna Quinn
Aims, Sampling, Equipment & Risk Assessment
River fieldwork enquiry
To undertake a river fieldwork enquiry there are a range of practical skills and methods that will be used
These can be applied to any river fieldwork
Stages of the enquiry process
The enquiry process is made up of six stages
Identification of a question and context
Selecting and using data collection methods
Processing and presenting your data
Analysing your data and reaching conclusions
Evaluation of the fieldwork
Geographical theories and case studies
The fieldwork enquiry should be linked to geographical theory
In the river fieldwork enquiry the Bradshaw model is usually used
The Bradshaw Model
Using a model or case studies helps to explain why certain processes occur or trends/patterns can be seen
They enable identification of where the data collected is not as expected
Examiner Tips and Tricks
In the exam you will be expected to answer questions on at least two of the stages which make up the enquiry process
Aims and Hypothesis
The aims and hypothesis come from questions asked about the river such as:
Does discharge increase along the length of River Y?
Does the average velocity increase along the length of River Y?
How and why does the cross-profile change along the long profile of River Y?
Examples of an aim would be:
An investigation into how a river's cross-profile changes downstream
An investigation into changes in discharge with distance downstream
Examples of a hypothesis would be:
The width and depth of River Y will increase with the distance downstream
The discharge of River Y increases with the distance downstream
After the aims and hypothesis of the fieldwork have been established the next steps include:
Selecting the sites: this will involve sampling
Deciding on the equipment to be used
Considering any health and safety issues: completing a risk assessment
Data collection method
Worked Example
You developed at least one question or hypothesis to help you investigate the river you have studied
Explain how this question or hypothesis helped your investigation
(3)
In your answer you need to clearly state what your hypothesis or key question was e.g.
The width and depth of the River Dove increased with distance downstream
The answer then needs to outline how this helped you to investigate the river
Answer:
My enquiry question supported my understanding of the aims of the investigation/focus on the main aim (1) through exploring the changes in the width and depth of the river as well as other characteristics (1) to decide how the river channel changes in relation to the Bradshaw Model (1)
Site Selection and Sampling
To collect data it is not practical to measure all parts of the river
To select the river sites used sampling should be used to reduce bias
There may be situations where access to the river is limited meaning an opportunistic approach to sampling may need to be taken. However, this should be as close as possible to the site selected using sampling
The most commonly used sampling strategies for a river enquiry are:
Systematic: a sampling of sites at regular intervals means that all parts of the river are covered
Random: the use of random sampling means that all sites have an equal chance of being selected which eliminates bias
Stratified: by sampling sites immediately downstream of a confluence significant changes in discharge can be identified
Site location can be recorded using GPS to give an accurate location using latitude and longitude
Equipment
To complete the river measurements a range of equipment is needed
The equipment includes the following:
25+ meter tape to measure the river width and for marking out distance downstream for velocity measurements
1 metre rule for measuring the depth
Clipboard for holding recording sheets
Pencil for writing in data
Camera to take photographs of sites and river features
Float or flowmeter for measuring velocity
Stopwatch if not using a flowmeter
Risk Assessment
Any fieldwork will involve consideration of health and safety using a risk assessment
Risks associated specifically with river fieldwork may include:
Weather conditions
Slippery rocks
Polluted water
Working in an unfamiliar place
Misuse of equipment
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