Data collection techniques• Height of the tree – tallest tree at each site using

trigonometry• Girth of tree – 1 m above ground, measured in cm round

the trunk• Litter survey– quadrat• Biodiversity survey– quadrat• Mangrove density survey – visual gauge on a 100% scale• Smell survey- nasal gauge on a 100% scale – rotting eggs

smell because of the decomposition of organic matter• Questionnaire – for hypothesis about whether or not people

care about the environment – both open and closed questions

• Environmental quality survey (bipolar)• Field sketches• Photographs• PH of soil• Nitrates test on soil• Any other secondary data you collect

Height of tree – tallest tree(s) every site

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1. Measure the distance you are away from the tree (try to keep this consistent at each site)

2. Use the clinometer to work out the angle, as shown above3. Complete the trigonometry equation as above.

Girth of tree – tallest tree(s) every site

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The girth of a tree is measured 1 m

above the ground using a tape

measure – it is measured in cm around the trunk

Litter survey and biodiversity survey – using quadrats

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Litter Survey1. Throw quadrat over your head so

that it lands randomly (watch out what is behind you though please!!)

2. Count and classify litter; e.g •Human waste•Non-human waste•Bio-degradable•Non-biodegradable•Plastic•Polystyrene•Rubber•Glass •Metal•Paper•Biomass•Cloth•Ceramic•Other

3. Repeat 3-5 times at each site

Biodiversity survey1. Throw quadrat over your head so that it

lands randomly (watch out what is behind you though please!!)

2. Count and classify level of biodiversity – you can decide on the categories

3. Repeat 3-5 times at each site

Mangrove density survey

0% 50% 100%

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Mangrove density is measured using a visual gauge on a 100% scale

Smell survey

0%50%

100%

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A smell survey is carried out using a nasal gauge on a 100% scale, with no ‘rotting egg’ (hydrogen sulfide ) odor being 0% and a strong ‘rotting egg’ (hydrogen sulfide ) odor at 100%

In mangroves and many other ecosystems, where there's a lot of rotting organic matter that are pretty much devoid of oxygen, the bacteria living in them and decomposing the organic matter are usually anaerobes.  Some species of anaerobic bacteria use sulfates (instead of oxygen) to help them break down organic matter, and the waste product of this process is hydrogen sulfide (H2S) instead of H2O (water - as it would be in aerobic bacteria).   The toxic hydrogen sulfide is a waste product of sulfate-reducing bacteria; its nasty “rotten egg” odor is often a marker for the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria in nature. Sulfate-reducing bacteria are responsible for the sulfurous odors usually associated with healthy mangroves, salt marshes and mud flats.

Field sketches and photographs

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•Draw/identify/label/annotate/photograph key features and add some colour to highlight areas of interest/relevance to your investigation aim.•Do this at each site but can be done more if appropriate, especially photographs.

Soil tests – PH value and nitrates

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•Collect soil samples at each site•Label the samples to identify the site number (unless tests are carried out on the site•Carry out PH test using universal indicator (carefully follow instructions given in the testing kit)•Carry out nitrates test using chemical testing kit (carefully follow instructions given in the testing kit)

Questionnaire• Asking local residents, business owners, depending on the

questionnaire you have designed etc.• Remember to be polite and sensitive in the way you approach

people, as well as thanking them, whether they complete your questionnaire or not; also, people have the right to stop answering your questions at any time.

• A well-designed questionnaire should meet the research objectives. This may seem obvious, but many research surveys omit important aspects due to inadequate preparatory work, and do not adequately probe particular issues due to poor understanding. To a certain degree some of this is inevitable. Every survey is bound to leave some questions unanswered and provide a need for further research but the objective of good questionnaire design is to 'minimise' these problems.

• It should obtain the most complete and accurate information possible. The questionnaire designer needs to ensure that respondents fully understand the questions and are not likely to refuse to answer, lie to the interviewer or try to conceal their attitudes. A good questionnaire is organised and worded to encourage respondents to provide accurate, unbiased and complete information.

• A well-designed questionnaire should make it easy for respondents to give the necessary information and for the interviewer to record the answer, and it should be arranged so that sound analysis and interpretation are possible – a mixture of open and closed questions is useful.

• It would keep the interview brief and to the point and be so arranged that the respondent(s) remain interested throughout the interview.

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Environmental quality survey

• Should address the investigation aim and all factors have a link to this.

• Categories need to be clearly defined e.g. Nice area vs. poor area is too vague.

• The ‘excellent’ end of the scale and the ‘poor’ end of the scale need to be clearly identified, e.g. Instead of just having the word ‘litter’ which needs to be classified from 1-10, have lots of litter on the ‘poor’ extreme and ‘no litter’ on the excellent extreme.

• Scale needs to be clearly defined, e.g. 1= poor and 10 = excellent

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Secondary evidence• You need to collect and annotate secondary evidence

related to your investigation title– Newspapers– Maps– Tourist information– Internet web pages

• For each piece of evidence, you must annotate it to show the examiner you have read and considered whether it is important

• For printed articles, highlight sections and print your comments (use two different shades for positive and negative comments)

• Quality here is better than quantity

• To further your project you may consider comparing your results to another indicator e.g. land price, household income, employment, size of dwelling, house price

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