Fieldwork

Join GeoBus at Tentsmuir’s Kinshaldy beach to investigate sand dune succession, collecting data on biotic and abiotic factors along a transect through the dune system. We will also measure changes in slope to create our own cross section of the dunes, allowing identification of each dune type.

Year Groups: Higher & Advanced Higher

Delivery Time: 3 – 4 hours, with a lunch break

Requirements: 

• There is a parking fee of £2 per vehicle. Please factor this into your budget. This fee must be paid in cash, using the correct change.
• Please ensure your students bring their own water, snacks and lunch. There is a crepe stall at Tentsmuir beach car park, but opening hours may vary throughout the year.
• Please ensure all students wear weather appropriate clothing and footwear. Bring a hat and SPF and/or waterproofs if required.
• There are toilets on site.

Curriculum Links:

• This fieldwork session will support the requirements of the Advanced Higher geography, Higher geography and Higher environmental science course specifications and assignment.

Transect set up across the dunes

Identifying plants in a 100 square quadrat along a transect

Measuring change in slope every 1 meter along a transect across dunes

Measuring wind speed using an anemometer

Join GeoBus for an investigation at Kinnessburn in St Andrews. Students can work in teams to collect data in several different investigations, including comparing the diversity of freshwater invertebrates in riffles and flats, and examining how species are adapted to survive in different microhabitats.

Year Groups: National 5 & Higher Environmental Science/National 5 & Advanced Higher Biology

Delivery Time: 3 – 4 hours, with a lunch break

Requirements: 

• Please ensure your students bring their own water, snacks and lunch.
• Please ensure all students wear weather appropriate clothing and footwear; students will require wellington boots. Bring a hat and SPF and/or waterproofs if required.

Curriculum Links:

• This fieldwork session will support the requirements of the National 5 and Higher environmental science course specification and assignment, particularly in relation to the Living Environment and Investigating Ecosystems & Biodiversity section of the course.
• This fieldwork session will support the requirements of the National 5 and Advanced Higher biology course specification, particularly in relation to the Biology: life on Earth section of the National 5 course and the Organisms and evolution (1. Field techniques for biologists) section of the Advanced Higher course.

Identifying invertebrates collected via kick sampling

Measuring velocity in riffles and flats

Field kit for an environmental science investigation

Demonstrating field equipment

Join GeoBus for an investigation at Cockshaugh Park in St Andrews. Students can work in teams to collect data in several different investigations, including comparing invertebrate diversity in the canopy of native vs non-native trees, comparing plant diversity in mown and unmown areas, and determining how plant types are affected by abiotic factors such as light intensity as you move from an open area to a shaded area along a transect.

Year Groups: National 5 & Higher/National 5 & Advanced Higher Biology

Delivery Time: 3 – 4 hours, with a lunch break

Requirements: 

• Please ensure your students bring their own water, snacks and lunch.
• Please ensure all students wear weather appropriate clothing and footwear. Bring a hat and SPF and/or waterproofs if required.

Curriculum Links:

• This fieldwork session will support the requirements of the National 5 and Higher environmental science course specification and assignment, particularly in relation to the Living Environment and Investigating Ecosystems & Biodiversity section of the course.
• This fieldwork session will support the requirements of the National 5 and Advanced Higher biology course specification, particularly in relation to the Biology: life on Earth section of the National 5 course and the Organisms and evolution (1. Field techniques for biologists) section of the Advanced Higher course.

Identifying plants on a transect and collecting abiotic data

Identifying plants in a quadrat in an unmown area

Shield bug in a bug pot – found during tree beating of native and non native trees

Tree beating to collect data on invertebrates in native and non-native trees

Join GeoBus at Castle Sands in St Andrews to investigate how communities of plants and animals are affected by their distance above the low tide mark. Students can work in teams to collect data in several different investigations, including a comparison of invertebrate diversity in the upper versus lower shore, or changes in plant and animal communities along a transect from the lower shore up to the splash zone.

Year Groups: National 5 & Higher/National 5 & Advanced Higher Biology

Delivery Time: 3 – 4 hours, with a lunch break

Requirements: 

• This investigation can only run during low tide.
• Please ensure your students bring their own water, snacks and lunch.
• Please ensure all students wear weather appropriate clothing and footwear. Bring a hat and SPF and/or waterproofs if required.

Curriculum Links:

• This fieldwork session will support the requirements of the National 5 and Higher environmental science course specification and assignment, particularly in relation to the Living Environment and Investigating Ecosystems & Biodiversity section of the course.
• This fieldwork session will support the requirements of the National 5 and Advanced Higher biology course specification, particularly in relation to the Biology: life on Earth section of the National 5 course and the Organisms and evolution (1. Field techniques for biologists) section of the Advanced Higher course.

Students will have the opportunity to try out a range of field equipment to implement qualitative and quantitative sampling techniques. This workshop will focus on skills that can be taught in your school grounds or local area.

Year Groups: S4 – S6

Delivery Time: Double period (100 minutes)

Set-up Time: 1 hour

Requirements: 

• A classroom space with desks for up to 30 students.
• A screen to connect to and display our PowerPoint.
• Parking nearby for the GeoBus van, so we can unload and load our equipment.
• School grounds with an open area of grassland (both cut and non-cut areas) and trees (a range of native and non-native) that can be easily accessed.

Curriculum Links:

• National 5 Environmental Science –
  • Living Environment
    • 1. Investigating Ecosystems and Biodiversity
    • 2. Interdependence
    • 3. Human Influences on biodiversity
• Higher Environmental Science –
  • Living Environment
    • 1. Investigating Ecosystems and Biodiversity
    • 2. Interdependence
    • 3. Human Influences on biodiversity
• National 5 Biology –
  • Life on Earth
    • Ecosystems
    • Distribution of organisms

Identifying plants on a transect and collecting abiotic data

Identifying plants in a quadrat in an unmown area

Shield bug in a bug pot – found during tree beating of native and non native trees

Tree beating to collect data on invertebrates in native and non-native trees

Your students will join GeoBus to examine characteristics of soils in the field, using a range of field equipment and techniques including augers, pH meters, moisture meters, and texture tests. The group will then have a chance to test the infiltration rates of the soil found in your school grounds. 

Year Groups: S5 – S6

Delivery Time: Double (100 minutes) period

Set-up Time: 45 minutes

Requirements:

• A classroom space with desks for up to 30 students.
• A screen to connect to and display our PowerPoint.
• Parking nearby for the GeoBus van, so we can unload and load our equipment.
• School grounds with an area of land where we have permission to collect a number of soil cores, that can be easily accessed.

Curriculum Links:

• Higher Geography –
  • Physical Environments
    • Biosphere
      • Properties and formation processes of podzol, brown earth and gley soils
• Higher Environmental Science –
  • Earth’s Resources
    • 3. Biosphere; Soils
      • Inputs; formation processes; composition; characteristics of brown earth and podzol soil profiles

Looking at colour and texture of soil

Using an auger

Soil analysis in the field equipment

Taking measurements of soil moisture and pH