Year 13 Geographers, under the expert guidance of Sakura Smithers, spent a beautiful winter morning traversing Christchurch beaches to gather data to help with an assessment.
On a quiet and calm New Brighton beach, students followed a specific research process where they: threw oranges into the ocean to track the phenomenon of long-shore drift, collected wind speed data using an anemometer, measured beach profiles using an abney meter, calculated whether waves were constructive or destructive by catching and weighing sand on incoming and outgoing waves, and timed wave speed. They then repeated the process at Taylors Mistake. They learned that, while this beach is geographically close, the processes that operate on it are different due to different natural factors. We are so lucky that the sun was shining. This trip had been postponed from the week before as snow was settling on the beach. The geographers loved being outside doing field work and exploring real world ideas. It was a great experience for all involved.
