Showing posts with label Soil erosion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soil erosion. Show all posts

Tuesday, 3 March 2026

#554: River Glaven

What is your local river? Can you get out to it to do fieldwork easily?

What fieldwork would be appropriate for the GCSE Natural History?

One river that I have completed fieldwork on most recently is the River Glaven.

This is a fairly short river which flows through North Norfolk.

Rising from tiny chalk headwaters in lower Bodham and Baconsthorpe, the River Glaven flows for approximately 17 km. Its main course begins just below Selbrigg Pond, where three tributaries combine at the outfall. From there, the river winds through wooded hills of glacial debris, traverses lush countryside, and meanders through picturesque flint villages, before meeting the sea behind Blakeney Point.

Image: Selbrigg Pond, where the Glaven comes to life.

I have followed the river for most of that route.

At Letheringsett mill there is a useful stretch where fieldwork can be carried out.

Image: Letheringsett

The River Glaven faces challenges from abstraction, climate change and development. These pressures affect water levels and temperatures, ultimately impacting the wildlife and communities that depend on this precious chalk stream.


Images by Alan Parkinson.

Wednesday, 10 January 2024

#215: Six Inches of Soil

Six Inches of Soil is a new film, which explores the value of this material, which many people undervalue - not understanding its critical importance. I studied pedology (soil science) in the final year of my undergraduate degree, spending quite a lot of time carrying out experiments and fieldwork, and know very well how important it is to look after it.

Here's the original quote which inspired the title of the film:


“Despite all our accomplishments, we owe our existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil and the fact it rains.”

Paul Harvey (1978) U.S. radio broadcaster

The trailer for the film can be viewed here:

#643: The Path More Travelled

A cross posting from my Geo Library blog project - what do you mean you haven't visited? There's over 700 books that would be of in...