Athboy students" field trip to Wicklow

A group of 47 sixth year geography students from Athboy Community School recently travelled to Kippure House Estate near Blessington in Co Wicklow for a river field study. The purpose of the field trip was to study the processes of fluvial transportation deposition and how they shape the landscape. With beautiful weather, the group had an enjoyable, action-packed day gathering data in the upper course of Athdown Brook, a tributary of the Liffey as well as a lower course site on the Liffey itself. With the aid of the park rangers each student measured river velocity and then carried out a river channel cross section to see the effects of deposition ion on the shape of the river. The students also did field sketches at both sites to take note of the features, conditions and processes evident. The group also measured discharge, gradient and carried out a bedload analysis of the material being transported and deposited. They also observed features of deposition such as meanders, flood plains, point bars and levees. The students must now produce a report on the field trip which is worth 20 per cent of their Leaving Certificate Geography examination. They were accompanied by teachers Mr Magner, Ms Crosby, Ms O"Donoghue and Ms Byrne.