Download APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Outline I. Earth Systems and

APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Outline
I. Earth Systems and Resources (10-15%)
a. The Geosphere
i. Origin of Our Solar System
ii. Geologic Time-Scales
iii. Plate Tectonics
 Source(s) of Energy for Convection

Plate Boundaries (Types & Dynamics)

Geothermal Gradients
iv. Earthquake Hazards (Where, Why & How Frequent?)
v. Volcanic Hazards (Where, Why & How Frequent?)
vi. Seasonality, Solar Intensity & Earth’s Orbital Modulations
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 1 of 28
b. The Atmosphere
i. Composition
ii. Structure
iii. Weather & Climate (Troposphere Concepts)
iv. Tropospheric Fluid Dynamics & Coriolis Effect
v. Global Winds & Climate Zones
vi. Atmosphere – Ocean Interactions; ENSO
 Sulfates & Cloud Formation

El Niño, La Niña & the Southern Oscillation
vii. Atmospheric Environmental Issues
 Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

Tropospheric Ozone Production and Smog
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 2 of 28
c. Global Water Resources & Use
i. Global Water Budgets, Reservoirs & Residence Times
ii. Ocean Circulation
 Surface-Water

Deep-Water
iii. Agricultural, Industrial & Domestic Use of Water
iv. Surface & Groundwater Issues
 Infiltration / Runoff / Flash Floods

Groundwater Use & Abuse

Salt-Water Intrusion

Perched Water Tables on Barrier Islands

Sinkholes
v. Global Water Problems & Conservation Efforts
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 3 of 28
d. Soil & Soil Dynamics
i. Rock Cycle & Weathering
ii. Formation
 Soil Composition

Physical & Chemical Properties

Major Soil Types & Climate Zones

Leeching (How/Why/Where?)

Contamination (How/Why/Where?)
iii. Erosion & Other Soil Issues
iv. Soil Conservation Practices
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 4 of 28
II. The Biosphere (10-15%)
a. Ecosystem Structure
i. Biomes, Ecosystems, Communities, Populations & Individuals
ii. Ecological Niches, Habitats & Ecotones
iii. Biodiversity and the Edge Effect (Island Effect)
iv. Indicator Species
v. Competition
 Density-Dependent Factors

Density-Independent Factors
vi. Survival Strategies
 K Communities

J Communities
vii. Invasive Species
viii. Major Terrestrial, Marine & Aquatic Biomes
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 5 of 28
b. Energy Flow through the Biosphere
i. Photosynthesis, Chemosynthesis & Cellular Respiration
ii. NEP & GPP
iii. Autotrophs, Heterotrophs & Mixotrophs
iv. Trophic Levels, Ecological Pyramids (& Hourglasses)
 2% Rule
 10 % Rule
v. Food Chains, Food Webs & Keystone Species
c. Ecosystem Diversity
i. Biodiversity
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 6 of 28
ii. Natural Selection
iii. Evolution
iv. Ecosystem Services
d. Natural Ecosystem Change
i. Celestial-Modulated Climate Change
ii. Species Movement
iii. Ecological Succession
 Primary Succession

Secondary Succession
e. Biogeochemical Cycles
i. Carbon
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 7 of 28
ii. Nitrogen
iii. Phosphorus
iv. Sulfur
v. Water
vi. Conservation of Matter
III. Population (10-15%)
a. Population Biology Concepts
i.
Population Ecology

J-Curve

S-Curve
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 8 of 28
ii.
iii.

Carrying Capacity

Sustainable Yield
Reproductive Strategies
Survivorship
b. Human Population
i. Human Population Dynamics

Historic Population Size (0 -2013)

Distribution

Fertility Rates

Growth Rates and Calculating Doubling Times
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 9 of 28

Demographic Transition(s) (e.g., Warren Thompson’s Model)
a. Preindustrial (High Stationary)
b. Transition (Slow Expanding)
c. Industrialization (Expanding)
d. Postindustrial (Low Stationary)
e. Information Age (Declining)

Age-Structure Diagrams
c. Population Size
i. Strategies for Sustainability
ii. Case Studies
iii. National Policies
IV. Land and Water Use (10-15%)
a. Agriculture
i. Feeding a Growing Population (7 Billion)

Human Nutritional Requirements
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 10 of 28

Types of Agriculture

Green Revolution
ii. Deforestation (for Agriculture)
iii. Best Management Practices (BMP’s)
iv. Irrigation Issues
v. Attempts at Increasing Agriculture Yield

Genetic Engineering (GMO’s) and Crop Yield

Pest Control(s)
1. Types of Pesticides
2. Costs/Benefit of Chemical Pesticide Use
3. Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
4. Laws Regulating Pest Management
5. Import of Unregulated Foods
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 11 of 28
b. Forestry
i. Tree Plantations
ii.
Old Growth Forests
iii. Forest Fires
iv. National Forests
v. Forest Management
c. Rangelands
i.
ii.
Grazing/Overgrazing
Deforestation
iii.
Rangeland Management
iv.
Federal Rangelands
d. Other Land Use
i. Urban Land Development

Planned Development

Suburban Sprawl
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 12 of 28

Urbanization
ii. Transportation Infrastructure

Federal Highway System

Canals & Channelization

Roadless Terrains
iii. Ecosystem Impacts
e. Public & Federal Lands
i. Management
ii.
Wilderness Areas
iii.
National Parks
iv.
National Seashores
]
v.
Wildlife Refuges
vi.
National Forests
vii.
Wetlands
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 13 of 28
f. Land Conservation Options
i. Preservation
ii. Remediation
iii. Restoration
iv. Sustainable Land-Use Strategies
h. Mining
i. Mineral Formation
ii. Extraction
iii. Global Reserves
iv. Laws and Treaties
i.
Fishing
i. History of Fishing Techniques
ii. Overfishing & Sustainable Yield Management Programs
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 14 of 28
iii. Aquaculture
iv. Laws & Treaties
ii.
Global Economics
i. Globalization
ii. World Bank
iii. Tragedy of the Commons
iv. Laws and Treaties
V. Energy Resources and Consumption (15-20%)
a. General Energy Concepts
i. Types of Energy
ii. Current, Volts, Resistance & Power
iii. Energy Units & Conversions
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 15 of 28
iv. Thermodynamics
 1st Law
 2nd Law
 3rd Law
b. Energy Consumption
i. History of Consumption

Pre-Industrial Revolution

Industrial Revolution

Exponential Growth

Present Day Appetite
ii. 21st Century Consumption & Trends
iii. Predictable Future Energy Needs
iv. Standard MegaWatt Power Stations vs Microstations
c. Carbon-Based Energy Sources (i.e., Fossil Fuels)
i. Formation of coal, oil and natural gas
ii. Extraction/ Refinery Method
A. Oil
B. Coal
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 16 of 28
C. Natural Gas
D. FRACKING
iii. World Reserves & Global Demand (and who supplies it?)
iv. Synfuels… What’s the Future?
v. Environmental Advantages/Disadvantages of each Fossil Fuel Source
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 17 of 28
D. Nuclear Energy
i. Nuclear Fission Process
ii. Nuclear fuel
iii. Electricity Production
iv. Nuclear Reactors: Types & What they do
iii. Environmental advantages/disadvantages of Nuclear Energy
iv. Safety Issues
v.
Radiation and Human Health
vi. Radioactive Waste(s)
vii. Nuclear Fusion: How’s it work?
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 18 of 28
E. Hydroelectric Power
i. Dams
ii. Flood control
iii. Impacts on Anadromous Fish (e.g., Salmon)
iv. Siltation Impacts
v. other impacts
F. Energy Conservation
i. Energy Efficiency
ii. CAFÉ standards
iii. Hybrid & Electric Vehicles
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 19 of 28
iv. Mass Transit
G. Renewable (“GREEN”) Energy
i. Solar Energy
1. Passive Solar
2. Photochemical Energy
3. Solar Turbines
ii. Hydrogen Fuel Cells
iii. Biofuels
iv. Wind Energy
v. Small-Scale Hydroelectric
vi. Ocean waves, currents and tidal energy
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 20 of 28
vii. Geothermal Energy
viii. Environmental advantages/disadvantages of GREEN POWER
ix. Practical limitations/blockades to “GREEN POWER”
VI. Pollution (25-30%)
A. Pollution Types
a. Air Pollution
i. Sources
A. Point-Source
B. Non-Point Source
C. Primary vs Secondary
ii. Major Air Pollutants
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 21 of 28
iii. Measurement / Units Utilized
iv. Smog
v. Acid Deposition – causes and effects
vi. Heat Islands and temperature inversions
vii. Indoor pollutants; sick building syndrome, types of pollutants. Health effects etc.
viii. Remediation and Reduction Stratregies
ix. Clean Air Act and other Relevant Laws
b. Noise Pollution
i. Sources
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 22 of 28
A. Effects
B. Control Measures
c. Water Pollution
i. Types
ii. Sources
iii. Causes & Effects
iv. Cultural Eutrophication
v. Ground-Water Contamination
A. Industrial
B. Agricultural
C. Residential
vi. Maintaining Water Quality
vii. Water Purification
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 23 of 28
viii. Sewage Treatment / Septic Tanks
ix. Clean Water Act and other Relevant Laws
d. Solid Waste
i. Types
ii. Solid Wastes in Sewage
iii. Disposal / Landfills
iv. Reduction (Recycling Programs)
v. Illegal Dumping / Disposal
B. Pollution Impacts on the Environment and Human Health
a. Pollution Hazards & Human Health
i. Environmental Risk Analysis
ii. Acute & Chronic Health Issues
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 24 of 28
iii. Dose-Response Relationships: LD-50 and Threshold
iv. Air Pollutants & Health
A. Types & Health Issues
B. Smoking (including secondary smoke)
v. Hazardous Chemicals in the Environment
vi. Industrial Wastes
vii. Hazardous Wastes
A. Types
B. Treatment / Disposal of Hazardous Wastes
C. Other Issues
viii. Clean-Up of Contaminated Sites
ix. Relevant Laws (Clean-Up to Dumping)
x. Biomagnification / Bioamplification
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 25 of 28
b. Economic Impacts of Environmental Health Issues
i. Cost- Benefit Analysis
ii. Externalities
iii. Marginal Costs
iv. Sustainability
VII. Global Change (10-15%)
A. Stratospheric Ozone
i. Formation of Stratospheric Ozone
ii. Absorption of Ultra-Violet (UV) Radiation
iii. Causes / Effects of Ozone Depletion
iv. Strategies for Reducing Ozone Depletion
v. Relevant Laws and Treaties and their Results
vi. Forecasted Timelines for Recovery of Stratospheric Ozone
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 26 of 28
B. Global Climate Change
i. Greenhouse Gases and the Greenhouse Effect
Gases:
How the GreenHouse Effect works:
ii. Pole-to-Equator Inequity of GreenHouse Impacts
iii. Impacts / Consequences of Warming
iv. Mitigating Climate Change
v. Relevant Laws and International Treaties
C. Loss of Biodiversity
i. Habitat Loss How and Why?
1. Overuse
2. Pollution
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 27 of 28
3. Invasive Species
4. Endangered and Extinct species
v. Maintenance through Conservation
vi. Relevant Laws & International Treaties
APES Exam / Comprehensive Review Guide -- Page 28 of 28