River Study

Fieldwork

Planning
Why Whitewater River
Close proximity to the school/Killowen Outdoor centre
Studying rivers/fluvial environments in Module 1.
The river could be easily accessed and the sites could
be reached from the road (accessibility).
Data could be safely collected at this river (safety
aspect). A risk assessment had been completed by
the teachers prior to the fieldtrip to determine that this
was the case. Nice clear water so we could see
where we were walking
Discussed in class what to measurements would be
taken and how eg Width, depth, wetted perimeter etc
Students were informed how to use the equipment
required for the above measurements and record
results.

Health & Safety Issues

Obtain permission from Parent(s)/Guardian(s) letters
home
Collect medical information eg asthma take inhalers
Take into consideration the size of the group
Behaviour of students fully co-operate with leaders and
teachers
Consult a weather forecast
Check each site for access and safety
Carry a first aid kit
Wear warm and waterproof clothing/protective clothing
(helmets)
Inform others of your destination and time of return
Bring a mobile phone

Health & Safety in the field

Wear helmets. Buoyancy aids must be worn with
waders. Carry a throw line.
Be aware of slippery and uneven surfaces
rocks/boulders.
Use the equipment properly. Take care with hazardous
equipment eg ranging poles.
Potential hazards include Weils disease and giant
hogweed vegetation.
Strong currents.
Variable depths of water.
Overhanging banks.
In the event of an accident, remove everyone from
danger, apply first aid, phone for assistance and stay
together.

Overcoming Hazards
Hazard
Deep Water / risk of drowning

How to overcome it
Wear buoyancy aids, thrown a rope
line

Uneven surfaces / slippery rocks, body Wear a helmet in case someone slips
injuries
Cold, hypothermia, death

Wear a few layers rather than just one

thick one

Weather conditions

Watch the weather forecast & plan

accordingly

Water quality weirs disease

Wash hands thoroughly, cover open

cuts, bring a first aid kit and antiseptic
wipes

Primary and Secondary Data

PRIMARY DATA that collected in the
field, river width, depth, gradient, GPS coordinates etc
SECONDARY DATA
Ordnance Survey maps for altitude,
distance from source (see table)
Weather forecast bbc.co.uk

Sampling Methods
What is the aim of sampling? It is
impossible to due to time and resource
constraints to test everything therefore
sampling becomes necessary.
Systematic sampling was used for sites.
Random sampling was used for bedload.
Stratified sampling is used for an area
which has two distinctive areas e.g a rocky
and sandy area on a beach.

What did you do?

To investigate how a river can change downstream, it
is possible to examine a local river
Any river may be divided off into 3 main sections
called courses upper, middle, lower.
Various fluvial characteristics are measured at regular
points (10 Sites) along the White Water river
This type of sampling is called systematic sampling
and it allows the investigation of continuous changes
as distance increases from the source of the river
How are these things measured?

Aim of Fieldwork
To investigate several physical characteristics of
the White Water River and how they change
from source to outflow
The 6 characteristics we have chosen are:
1. Velocity (metres/second)
2. Width (metres)
3. Depth (cm)
4. Wetted Perimeter (metres)
5. Bedload size (cm)
6. Gradient (degrees)

Hypotheses to be Tested
The river and its channel get wider as you travel
downstream.
The depth of the river increases as you travel downstream.
The velocity of the river increases as you travel
downstream.
The size of the bedload decreases and its roundness
increases as you travel downstream.

Width
This is measured by
placing one end of a
measuring tape at
one side of the river
channel, then pulling
it out to the other side
of the channel
The distance is the
width of the river

Depth
This is completed
using a metre stick
It is lowered into the
water every 10 cm,
and the distance from
the top of the water to
the river bed gives the
depth of water
An average of all these
readings is taken

Discharge
This is the amount of water passing any point in a
river in a certain river, normally given as cubic metres
of water per second (cumecs)
It is calculated by multiplying the cross-sectional area
of a river channel at a certain point by the speed
(velocity) of the river at the same point
The cross-sectional area is obtained by multiplying
the width of the river by the average depth
The speed (velocity) of the river is recorded using a
flow meter (a small propeller attached to a rod) that
when dipped into the river gives a digital reading of
the speed of flow in metres per second
Can also be recorded manually using flotation
objects such as twigs placed in the centre of the river.
These can be used to estimate the surface velocity
by timing the twig travelling a distance of 10m

Load
The load of a river is the material it is carrying,
ranging from small sediment to large boulders
It is very hard to measure the size of the load in
suspension, so instead, we can concentrate on the
load lying on the channel bed called the bed load
This load is measured for size and roundness
By measuring the longest axis of 15-20 random
samples at each point an idea of the size of the load
is obtained
Each stone is then given a rating for roundness

Wetted Perimeter
This is the surface of the bed and banks,
which is in contact with the water in the
channel measured by a tape, weighed
down with small stones across the river or
with a chain

Gradient
The angle at which
the river is flowing
This can be found
using a clinometer,
whereby 2 ranging
poles are set 10m
apart, parallel to the
bank and the inclined
clinometer indicates
the angle one is from
the other

Improvements to fieldwork
Visit more sites more than 10 sites.
Take more readings to improve the accuracy of the data
collected. The bigger the range in your sample, the more
samples you should take to reduce errors e.g river
depth.
Use digital equipment for data collection.
Same students collect the same information at each site
to ensure consistency in the results.
Allocate more time with the data collection not rushing
making errors.
Compare results different time of year / different river
Compare results with other schools.
More practice in using equipment to improve accuracy.
Measure velocity always along the same transect as
where you measured width to ensure accurate cross
sectional area and so discharge