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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AP
Text book: Friedland, Andrew, Rick Relyea and David Courard-Hauri, Environmental
Science for AP, WH Freeman and Company, 2012
Prerequisites: Biology 1, Geophysical Science Accelerated or Earth Science and
General Chemistry.
Grades: 11, 12
Length of Class: Two semesters- meeting one period (55 min) each day.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Advanced Placement Environmental Science is the equivalent of a one semester
introductory college course in environmental science. This course is unique in that it is
interdisciplinary, drawing from such diverse disciplines as geology, physics, chemistry,
biology, geography, and social studies. Students investigate the interrelationships of the
natural world, analyze environmental problems, and examine alternative solutions for
resolving these problems. Activities include lecture discussion, experimentation,
laboratory, terrestrial and aquatic field study, and other supplemental field trips. Students
can expect to spend time outdoors, doing real science and problem solving.
Approximately 20% of class time is spent on lab and field studies.
Topic
Reading
I. Earth Science Systems and Resources
Ch. 1
A. Earth Science Concepts review: (plate tectonics, earthquakes
and volcanoes, geologic time scale, seasons, solar intensity
and latitude and longitude.
B. Global resources and water use (freshwater/saltwater, ocean
circulation, agricultural industrial and domestic use. Surface and
groundwater issues, global problems, conservation.
Ch 9
C. Soil and soil dynamics (rock cycle soil formation, composition,
physical and chemical properties, main soil types, erosion and
other soil problems, soil conservation.)
Ch 8
Home soil analysis
D. The Atmosphere (composition, structure, weather and climate,
atmospheric circulation and the Coriolis Effect, atmosphere-ocean
interactions, ENSO)
Ch 3-4
II. The Living World
A. Ecosystem Structure (biological populations and communities,
ecological niches, interactions among species, keystone species,
Ch 3, 5
species diversity and edge effects, major terrestrial and aquatic
biomes)
B. Natural biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus)
Ch 3, Ch 4
C . Energy Flow (photosynthesis and cellular respiration, food webs
and trophic levels, ecological pyramids)
Ch 3
D. Ecosystem Diversity (biodiversity, natural selection, evolution,
ecosystem services)
Ch 6
E. Natural Ecosystem change (climate shifts, species movement,
ecological succession
Ch 3, 5
III. Land and Water Use
A. Agriculture
1. Feeding a growing population (human nutritional requirements, Ch 10, 11
types of agriculture, Green Revolution, genetic engineering and
crop production, deforestation, irrigation, sustainable agriculture)
2. Controlling pests (types of pesticides, costs & benefits of
pesticide use, integrated pest management, relevant laws)
B. Forestry (tree plantations, old growth forests, forest fires, forest
management, national forests)
Ch 10
C. Rangelands (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification, rangeland
management, federal rangelands)
Ch 10
D. Mining (mineral formation, extraction, global reserves, relevant laws
and treaties)
Ch 8
E. Fishing (fishing techniques, overfishing, aquaculture, relevant laws
and treaties)
Ch 11
F. Other Land Uses
1. Urban land development (planned development, suburban
sprawl, urbanization)
Ch 10
2. Transportation infrastructure (Federal highway systems,
canals and channels, roadless areas, ecosystem impacts)
3. Public and federal lands (management, wilderness areas,
national parks, wildlife refuges, forests, wetlands)
4. Land conservation options (preservation, remediation,
mitigation, restoration)
5. Sustainable land use strategies
G. Global Economics (globalization, World Bank, Tragedy of the
Ch 20
Commons, relevant laws and treaties
IV. Population
A. Population Biology Concepts (population ecology, carrying
capacity, reproductive strategies, survivorship)
Ch 6
B. Human population
1. Human population dynamics (historical population sizes,
distribution, fertility rates, growth rates and doubling times,
demographic transition, age structure diagrams
Ch 7
2. Population size (strategies for sustainability, case studies,
national policies)
3. Impacts of population growth (hunger, disease, economic
effects, resource use, habitat destruction)
V. Energy resources and consumption
A. Energy concepts (energy forms, power, units, conversions, Laws
of Thermodynamics)
Ch 12
B. Energy consumption
Ch 12
1. History (Industrial Revolution, exponential growth, energy crisis)
2. Present global energy use
3. Future energy needs
C. Fossil Fuel Resources and Use (Formation of coal, oil and natural
gas, extraction/purification methods, world reserves and global
demand, synthetic fuels, environmental advantages/disadvantages
of sources)
Ch 12
D. Nuclear Energy (nuclear fission process, nuclear fuel, electricity
production, nuclear reactor types, environmental advantages/
disadvantages, safety issues, radiation and human health,
radioactive wastes, nuclear fusion)
Ch 12
E. Hydroelectric Power (dams, flood control, salmon, silting,
other impacts)
Ch 13
F. Renewable Energy (Solar energy, solar electricity, hydrogen
fuel cells, biomass, wind energy, small-scale hydroelectric,
ocean waves and tidal energy, geothermal, environmental
advantages/disadvantages)
Ch 13
G. Energy Conservation (energy efficiency, CAFÉ standards,
hybrid electric vehicles, mass transit)
Ch 13
VI. Pollution
A. Pollution types
1. Air pollution (sources-primary and secondary, major air
pollutants, measurement units, smog, acid deposition-causes
and effects, heat islands and temperature inversions, indoor
air pollution, remediation and reduction strategies, Clean Air Act
and other relevant laws)
2. Noise Pollution ( sources, effects, control measures)
Ch 15
ancillary reading
3. Water Pollution (types, causes and effects, cultural
Ch 14
eutrophication, groundwater pollution, maintaining water quality,
water purification, sewage treatment/septic systems, Clean Water
Act and other relevant laws)
4. Solid waste (types, disposal reduction)
B. Impacts on the environment and human health
Ch 16
Ch 17
1. Hazards to human health (environmental risk analysis, acute
and chronic effects, dose-response relationships, air pollutants,
smoking and other risks)
2. Hazardous chemicals in the environment (types of hazardous
waste, treatment/disposal of hazardous waste, cleanup of
contaminated sites, biomagnification, relevant laws
C. Economic impacts (cost benefit analysis, externalities, marginal
costs, sustainability)
Ch 14-16
VII. Global Change
A. Stratospheric ozone (formation of atmospheric ozone, ultraviolet
radiation, causes and effects of ozone depletion, strategies for
reducing ozone depletion, relevant laws and treaties)
Ch 15
B. Global warming (greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect)
impacts and consequences of global warming, reducing climate
change, relevant laws and treaties)
Ch 19
C. Loss of Biodiversity
1. Habitat loss, overuse, pollution, introduced species,
endangered and extinct species)
Ch 18
2. Maintenance through conservation
3. Relevant laws and treaties