29 September 2022 - Cheung Chau Field Trip
The Geography Department held its first field trip soon after the start of the school year, on 29th September 2022. This field trip was organised by Caritas Chan Chun Ha Field Studies Centre. The fieldwork activities we conducted aim to let the S5 and S6 geography students better understand the characteristics of abiotic and biotic components in the ecosystem and also prepare our students to deal with the fieldwork-based questions in the HKDSE.
We learned about different aspects of woodland, including microclimate, ecosystem and layers. This time, we got a chance to look at the field study site.
Upon arriving at the Field Studies Centre in Cheung Chau, students studied the difference between soil sampled at the woodlands and those sampled on the fringe of and outside the woodlands. We have done some laboratory tests and identified that samples in the woodlands have better nutrients, such as potassium and nitrogen, than the ones on the fringe and outside.
Later on, we went to the playground to measure different types of trees. We measured the height and crown width of the tree and, most importantly, got a precious chance to try to use equipment frequently used in the fieldwork studies, such as Abney level and measuring tape.
We also studied the microclimate of different regions by measuring the weather and penetration rate using different equipment, such as an anemometer and a light meter. The areas include place right underneath the dense vegetation cover, place under the sparse vegetation cover and place without vegetation cover. We found that places with vegetation cover have a lower temperature and higher relative humidity than those without vegetation cover.
All in all, this trip has brought us so much fun. Everyone was engaged throughout the whole process. Additionally, the trip provided valuable knowledge on fieldwork-based questions for HKDSE and let us truly feel the interaction between the woodland and the ecosystem with our bare hands.
By Bevis Wan S5CC (26)
