Vegetation and soil

Fieldwork and practical investigations

Themes for geographical fieldwork that link climate with vegetation and soils might include:

• Investigating or researching the damage to habitats resulting from an immediate disastrous weather event, such as a hurricane or severe storm, as well as any subsequent additional hazard (such as localised river flooding in Boscastle in 2004).
• Analysing a longer term trend or condition, such as the biological impact of a heat-wave or drought (e.g. 1976 or 2006).
• Assessing existing and possible future strategies for managing drought in South-East England (e.g. hosepipe bans, water management plans, new farming techniques).

While the exact connection between such events and climate change are still not fully understood, there is an emerging consensus that such ‘extreme’ events are connected to global warming. For instance, over the last fifty years, we have witnessed a decrease in the return period of severe droughts, while a higher proportion of UK rainfall now falls on "heavy rainfall days".

Synoptic links that could be explored as part of a fieldwork exercise could include a social and economic impact survey of the biological stresses caused by the increased occurrence of extreme weather events. The impact of hosepipe bans on urban ecosystems such as private gardens, garden centres, public parks and golf courses could all be investigated - with an appropriate focus on consequent loss of livelihood, production and tourist revenues. Questionnaires conducted with small and medium-sized businesses could be a useful technique to employ in a study focused upon the costs and benefits of climatic fluctuations in recent years.