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Geographical Investigations – Fieldwork

Coastal fieldwork: enquiry questions, methods and secondary data

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 3

Overview

Beach morphology, measuring a beach profile, breaks of slope and gradient with a clinometer, sediment size and roundness, unbiased sampling with quadrats, field sketches, wave counts and wave type, profiles either side of a groyne, and using geology maps, old maps and records in coastal fieldwork.

What you need to know

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Key term

What is meant by beach morphology?

Key term

How is a beach profile measured?

Key term

What is a break of slope?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is meant by beach morphology?

    Model answer

    The shape of the beach — its width, its gradient and features such as berms, ridges and runnels.

  2. 2

    How is a beach profile measured?

    Model answer

    Two ranging poles are placed at each break of slope from the sea to the back of the beach, and the distance and angle between them are recorded.

  3. 3

    What is a break of slope?

    Model answer

    A point where the angle of the beach clearly changes, marking the end of one section of the profile.

  4. 4

    What is a clinometer used for on a beach?

    Model answer

    Measuring the angle of the slope between two points along the profile.

  5. 5

    Why is the angle sighted between marks at the same height on each pole?

    Model answer

    So the line of sight runs parallel to the beach surface and the angle recorded is the true gradient.

  6. 6

    How is the size of beach sediment measured?

    Model answer

    Pebbles are collected at fixed intervals along the profile and the longest axis of each is measured with callipers or a ruler.

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