Rivers

If you are doing a rivers study, then you might be measuring parameters such as:

Measurement Equipment Units Chart and Graphs
Width Tape Measure cm or metres n/a
Depth Metre Rule cm or metres n/a
Velocity Flow Meter - time in seconds how long it takes the propeller to travel the total distance of the screw! m / sec

(metres per second)

 Convert your time in seconds into the velocity in metres per second using the - Flow Meter Calibration Chart
Discharge You don't measure this - but you can calculate it as long as you have take your width, depth and velocity measurements! cumecs

(cubic metres per second)

 Calculation (see Waugh)

Q = V x A

Wetted Perimeter Tape Measure    
Substrate Your own assessment of the % of: cobbles, gravel, sand and silt on the bed of the river within a 50cm x 50cm area Must add up to 100% - e.g. 70% cobbles, 20% gravel, 10% silt

n/a

Aquatic Invertebrates Kick Net, Tray, Identification Sheet, Biological Indicator Sheet

n/a

Identification Sheet

Biological Indicator Sheet

Bank Erosion 15cm (6") nails - buy them from B&Q / Homebase!

cm

 n/a
Water Turbidity Clear plastic bottles - e.g. 50cl volvic / cola bottles

Shake bottles - time in seconds how long it takes for the froth to clear

  
Water Temperature Thermometer

oC

  
Riparian Vegetation Quadrat

% vegetation cover

 Vegetation Identification Sheet
Water pH Nutrafin pH Test Kit - buy from Shirley Aquatics - should be about pH7 close to neutral

pH

 If measuring a small stream/river pH may not give good results
Water conductivity Conductivity probe - measures the amount of salts present in the water - the higher the reading the greater the level of pollution

u/S

 If measuring a small stream/river conductivity readings may not give good results

All of the equipment may be borrowed from the Earth Studies Department - ask your teacher

You will obviously not be measuring all of these parameters!! But make sure you are measuring values that will give you meaningful correlations. For example, the deeper the water - the greater the dilution factor of pollutants, therefore you might expect there to be more invertebrates present. The correlation would be a positive one e.g. greater water depth = greater numbers of invertebrates present.

Make sure you understand the Geographical Theory behind your investigation - read the text book written by Sue Warn and find out about the Bradshaw Model - can you test this on your stream / river? There is also some good information in Waugh.

Warning - in small streams and rivers, pH and conductivity measurements may show very little variation. This does not make for good data collection - only collect this type of data if you are sampling upstream and then downstream of a sewage works or another possible vector of pollution e.g. a factory.