Most of the North Kent coast is highly managed to prevent
the dual hazards of coastal erosion and flooding. The section of coastline we visited is particularly
interesting as you can see the two most contrasting approaches to management – ‘hold the
line’ and ‘do nothing’. What makes Reculver a particularly useful site
for GCSE Geography classes is that this variation in processes and management
is all within easy walking distance.
Reculver Country Park also boasts coach parking, a new visitor interpretation centre
and clean public toilets. Road access is
easy being close to the Thanet Way A299.
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| Walking by the unprotected cliffs at Reculver |
Secondary Research
methods
To investigate how geomorphic processes are affecting the
coast here students used a GIS (Geographical Information Systems) package
called Digital Worlds to measure erosion rates.
They did this by using maps from 1862 and 2012 and carefully comparing
the coastlines. We also used Bing Maps’
excellent ‘birds eye’ aerial photography to conduct pre-visit virtual fieldwork. Students could clearly see dramatic landslides
in the unprotected coastline and the full range of coastal management strategies
protecting urban areas. You can go on a virtual fieldtrip here: http://www.georesources.co.uk/recintro.htm
Primary data
collection
Out in the field students used a clinometer to measure slope
angles, photographs to record the current state of cliffs and field-sketches to
help interpret what they could see. Some
students also recorded 360°
panoramic videos to help them remember the fieldwork sites.
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| My class at Reculver |
Writing up our
results
Students now have 1200 words and 5 weeks to write up their
results. They need to apply their
conceptual understanding geomorphic processes and coastal management and
combine this with terminology to produce a quality piece of work. We will almost certainly use this site again. You can see some of the photos below.
