Download AP Environmental Science - South Brunswick School District

Advanced Placement Environmental Science 2013-2014
Course Introduction and Summer Assignment
Welcome to college.
Ensure you read this package thoroughly before summer break in case there are any questions.
Ensure you download all applicable files from Mrs. Benton’s website.
Ensure that you pick up a hard copy scantron answer sheet.
You may email Dr. Zimmer or Mrs. Benton with questions at [email protected] or
[email protected]. Do not use these addresses for any purpose other than this
course. Also, Dr. Zimmer will be unavailable, or at least difficult to reach, during much of the
summer due to military commitments. Therefore, if you have questions or concerns, get them
out of the way early. This packet and materials may be found on Mrs. Benton’s website,
http://sites.google.com/site/bentonapenvironmentalscience.
This assignment counts toward your first marking period grade and must be word-processed
(typed) – neatness always counts. Figures or drawings need not be typed, but obviously must be
clear. The work is due on Tuesday, September 3, 2013 by 3:00 pm via email to ONE of the
accounts above or mail to the high school. For hand-delivery or mailing use:
Dr. Ithan Zimmer or Mrs. Karen Benton
C/O South Brunswick High School
750 Ridge Road
Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852
Introduction:
From The College Board: “The goal of the AP Environmental Science course is to provide
students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the
interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both
natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to
examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them.
Environmental science is interdisciplinary; it embraces a wide variety of topics from
different areas of study. Yet there are several major unifying constructs, or themes, that cut
across the many topics included in the study of environmental science.”
The prerequisites for this class are stated clearly in the South Brunswick Course of Studies
Booklet. They include: a B or better in Biology I, Chemistry I, and Algebra II. You must have
these prerequisites fulfilled. Time will not come from the class to re-teach the above courses.
Students who do not have a strong and traditional background in the above subjects will have to
work extra hard to keep up. You must have a basic understanding of physics including, but not
limited to, concepts such as work, energy, power, and thermodynamics. This understanding of
physics may be satisfied by completing either Physics I or Physical and Earth Science. Part of
your summer assignment covers review of these subjects.
The course is designed to be the equivalent of an introductory college course and, therefore, a
laboratory may not always be a part of such a class. However, we will have a laboratory
component in this course. The labs will not only develop your understanding of environmental
science, but will prepare you for the AP Exam.
Understand that there are challenges to the student and to the instructor that are specific to
environmental science. Specifically,
1. The course is interdisciplinary.
2. Subject terms and definitions are not standard.
3. There are few absolute answers.
4. It is difficult to understand the role of humans in environmental processes.
In taking this course, you must make a commitment. As you may know, the national Advanced
Placement exam takes place in May 2014, which may qualify you for college credit or advanced
college standing. Questions on this exam come not only from the environmental science text,
but also from the biology, chemistry, and math courses that are prerequisites for this class.
Text:
Environmental Science, Botkin and Keller, 7th edition
Additional references will be used throughout the year
On the first day of school, you will receive your text. You must know now that there is never
enough time during class to cover all of the topics for which you are responsible. You must put
time into this course outside of class aside from standard homework. Incidentally, concerning
the environmental science text, you are required to read every section of every chapter, whether
it is covered in class or not. You will be tested and quizzed on information not specifically
covered during class time.
Grading:
Grades are determined based on a total point system. Points come from tests, quizzes
(announced or unannounced), labs, fieldwork, homework, and classwork. The final exam for the
course will be on one of the final days of regular class before the school begins administering AP
exams. The course final exam counts toward your fourth quarter grade.
Other references used throughout the course will be tested along with the chapters or sections to
which they pertain. Relevant environmental laws and persons of historical environmental
significance will be studied throughout the year. Unannounced quizzes on the current topic may
be given any time. Multiple labs require use of spreadsheets (e.g., Microsoft Excel) and word
processing (e.g., Microsoft Word). Word processing is expected for homework as appropriate.
You should become familiar with Excel and Word over the summer if you are not already.
Outline of Topics:
The following general outline is provided by The College Board and therefore defines the scope
of both the AP course and the AP Exam. The order of the topics listed below has no special
significance. It is provided to assist in your preparation for this course and for the exam. The
percentages after the major topic headings are approximations only. They provide the
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approximate proportion of multiple-choice questions on the AP exam for that heading. The freeresponse questions (FRQs) on the AP Exam cover multiple topics per question.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Earth Systems and Resources (10-15%)
A. Earth Science Concepts
(Geologic time scale; plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanism; seasons; solar
intensity and latitude)
B. The Atmosphere
(Composition; structure; weather and climate; atmosphere circulation and the
Coriolis Effect; atmosphere-ocean interactions; ENSO)
C. Global Water Resources and Use
(Freshwater/saltwater; ocean circulation; agricultural, industrial, and domestic
use; surface and groundwater issues; global problems; conservation)
D. Soil and Soil Dynamics
(Rock cycle; formation; composition; physical and chemical properties; main soil
types; erosion and other soil problems; soil conservation)
The Living World (10-15%)
A. Ecosystem Structure
(Biological populations and communities; ecological niches; interactions among
species; keystone species; species diversity and edge effects; major terrestrial and
aquatic biomes)
B. Energy Flow
(Photosynthesis and cellular respiration; food webs and trophic levels; ecological
pyramids)
C. Ecosystem Diversity
(Biodiversity; natural selection; evolution; ecosystem services)
D. Natural Ecosystem Change
(Climate shifts; species movement; ecological succession)
E. Natural Biogeochemical Cycles
(Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, water, conservation of matter)
Population (10-15%)
A. Population Biology Concepts
(Population ecology; carrying capacity; reproductive strategies; survivorship)
B. Human Population
1. Human population dynamics
(Historical population sizes; distribution; fertility rates; growth rates and
doubling times; demographic transition; age-structure diagrams)
2. Population size
(Strategies for sustainability; case studies; national policies)
3. Impacts of population growth
(Hunger; disease; economic effects; resource use; habitat destruction)
Land and Water Use (10-15%)
A. Agriculture
1. Feeding a growing population
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V.
(Human nutritional requirements; types of agriculture; Green Revolution;
genetic engineering and crop production; deforestation; irrigation; sustainable
agriculture)
2. Controlling pests
(Types of pesticides; costs and benefits of pesticide use; integrated pest
management; relevant laws)
B. Forestry (Tree plantations; old growth forests; forest fires; forest management;
national forests)
C. Rangelands (Overgrazing; deforestation; desertification; rangeland management;
federal rangelands)
D. Other land Use
1. Urban land development
(Planned development; suburban sprawl; urbanization)
2. Transportation infrastructure
(Federal highway system; 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
E. Mining
(Mineral formation; extraction; global reserves; relevant laws and treaties)
F.
Fishing
(Fishing techniques; overfishing; aquaculture; relevant laws and treaties)
G. Global Economics
(Globalization; World Bank; Tragedy of the Commons; relevant laws and
treaties)
Energy Resources and Consumption (10-15%)
A. Energy Concepts
(Energy forms; power; units; conversions; Laws of Thermodynamics)
B. Energy Consumption
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; synfuels; environmental advantages/disadvantages
of sources)
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)
E. Hydroelectric Power
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(Dams; flood control; salmon; silting; other impacts)
Energy Conservation
(Energy efficiency; CAFE standards; hybrid electric vehicles; mass transit)
G. Renewable Energy
(Solar energy; solar electricity; hydrogen fuel cells; biomass; wind energy; smallscale hydroelectric; ocean waves and tidal energy; geothermal; environmental
advantages/disadvantages)
Pollution (25-30%)
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
(Sources; effects; control measures)
3. Water pollution
(Types; sources, causes, and effects; cultural 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
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)
Global Change (10-15%)
A. Stratospheric Ozone
(Formation of stratospheric ozone; ultraviolet radiation; causes of ozone
depletion; effects of ozone depletion; strategies for reducing ozone depletion;
relevant laws and treaties)
B. Global Warming
(Greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect; impacts and consequences of
global warming; reducing climate change; relevant laws and treaties)
C. Loss of Biodiversity
1. Habitat loss; overuse; pollution; introduced species; endangered and
extinct species
2. Maintenance through conservation
3. Relevant laws and treaties
F.
VI.
VII.
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Summer Assignment
For references, use a library, a bookstore, prerequisite course notes, or the Internet. However, be
careful of your use of the Internet. Just because it is on a web page (or even in print), does not
mean it is true. Web pages belonging to official agencies such as the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) are acceptable. Personal web pages must be avoided. Web pages that are open to
public input such as Wikipedia are always suspect and must be avoided.
The format for typing is double-spaced for an essay, single-spaced for answering questions, oneinch margins, 12-point pitch, and Times New Roman font. Your name at the top and a
section/title will suffice as a heading. Each of the main parts must be answered on separate
sheets of paper and presented in the order they are assigned noting problem numbers/letters.
Neatness counts! In addition to answering the questions below, you are graded on your format
and ability to provide the required information in order.
If submitting electronically, which is preferred, you MUST use the following file name format:
LastName_FirstName_APES_Summer_PartorSection.pdf or .doc as needed. One file is
preferred, but as this may not be practical, ensure you use the format for file naming as noted
above for each file submitted. In the subject heading of the email containing your summer
assignment please write “Last Name First Name APES Summer Assignment.”
Be organized – follow directions and formats!!!
1. For any seven weeks of the summer vacation (and it must be seven different weeks), read one
article from of a newspaper, journal, or magazine that pertains to environmental science. For our
purposes, it pertains to environmental science only if the subject can be put into one of the topics
of the outline provided above. The article must be from a reputable source, such as a recognized
newspaper or magazine/journal (e.g., Scientific American, The Star-Ledger, The Wall Street
Journal, The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Time, Newsweek, or a professional
journal). Science-based websites are acceptable. For each of the seven articles, completely fill
out the Current Event Article Worksheet attached at the end of this packet or found on Mrs.
Benton’s website:
http://sites.google.com/site/bentonapenvironmentalscience/.
Print out/copy the worksheet so that you have a separate one for each article. For Topic
Correlation, state what the article has to do with our course outline (type in the outline label such
as III.B.1 for Human population dynamics for example). You must at least cite the Roman
numeral and Capital Letter for the topic. In addition to the seven articles being from seven
different weeks of the summer, each article must be from one of the seven Roman numeral topics
in the outline of topics above. In other words, you may only have one article that pertains to
Earth Systems and Resources, only one from The Living World, and so on.
2. Complete the 2009 New Jersey Science League Earth Science Exam found on the website. It
must be done using a #2 pencil on the scantron provided. You may use any reference to
complete the exam such as a textbook or the Internet, but you may not work with another student
(Reference Tables are included at the end of the exam packet). This counts as a separate quiz
grade in Q1.
3. Read/study the first two chapters of the 7th edition Botkin textbook. Both chapters may be
found on the website. Answer the following questions pertaining to the reading:
A. Chapter 1, Do P16 #1, 3, 5, 7.
B. There are generally four categories of justification for environmental values – list and
define those values.
C. Define and briefly explain the Gaia hypothesis.
D. Critical thinking skills are necessary for determining the significance and accuracy of
media coverage of scientific issues. Using A Closer Look (ACL) 2.4 Evaluating Media
Coverage, evaluate one of your articles that you evaluated in assignment #1. Answer all
eight questions for that one article (ensure you state which article you are choosing).
E. Read the Critical Thinking Issue (CTI) on P35 and complete CTI questions #1-6.
4. All students will read Michael Crichton’s State of Fear. You will need to borrow a copy from
your local library, purchase a copy of the book, or download an e-book. The book is available in
paperback and quite cheap via the Internet. State of Fear is a work of fiction, but discusses
several topics of concern to the course including the debate on climate change and its potential
causes and consequences, the presentation of scientific data and how it can be bias, and the
politics that surround environmental legislation and conservation. The book will be used as part
of the introduction to the course in the fall, including a graded class discussion and testing of
facts from the book on the summer assignment test during the first two weeks of class. Read the
entire book and complete the following:
A. Provide a basic biography of the author. Include the author’s dates of birth/death,
nationality, educational background, and books he has written that specifically deal with
environmental themes. Identify at least three books and list the specific environmental
topics each book addresses. You may use the course topic outline in this packet to help
you identify the topics addressed. Limit this part to two paragraphs.
B. To prepare for the class discussion and test keep a log of the different environmental
themes presented as you read the book. Write down your thoughts on how the
justifications for placing value on the environment play a role in the character’s actions
and decisions. This must be handed in as part of your summer assignment and you must
maintain a copy for yourself to use in class for the Socratic seminar. You will receive a
grade for the log and for your ability to provide specific examples and discussion of
specific events during the Socratic seminar. Keeping a detailed log will be needed.
C. Cite at least five topics from our course outline that are covered or mentioned in the
book. Give a brief description of what happened in the book and how it is related to the
topic in the course outline. Similar to the articles, for Topic Correlation, type in the
outline label such as III.B.1 for Human population dynamics for example. You must at
least cite the Roman numeral and Capital Letter for the topic. This should be done using
a table listing the: Topic Number, Topic Title, Description of what happened in the book
and how it is related to the course topic. Complete this separately from your log,
although you may use the log to identify the five topics.
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5. Core Science & Math Problem Review. Complete the following problems from prerequisite
courses that provide base-knowledge for the study of environmental science. Ensure you are
familiar with these concepts. If you did not cover these topics in your previous classes, you
should get texts that do cover these topics and learn them over the summer. If you are not
comfortable with this material, expect to have difficulty during the school year. Show all work.
Ensure your work is clear, include equations, include appropriate units, and box in your final
answers. Use g = 9.8 m/s2. Be mindful of significant figures.
A. You are coasting down a hill in a car that has a total mass of 1500 kg. The elevation of
the hill is 52 m above the ground (bottom of the hill). Neglect any effects of friction.
a. Calculate the potential energy in the system at the top of the hill.
b. How much kinetic energy will you and the car have right at the bottom of the hill?
Neglect air resistance.
c. Calculate your speed at the bottom of the hill.
d. Eventually you coast to a stop. What happened to all the energy you had? Be
specific.
B. A crane uses a block and tackle to lift a 35 kN boulder to a height of 11 m.
a. How much work is done on the boulder? Put your answer in scientific notation.
b. If the work is done in 12 s, what is the power output in watts and in horsepower?
C. The growth of a population may be described by the equation N=N0ekt where N is the
population, N0 is the initial population, k is the rate constant and t is time. If the annual
growth rate of the population is 0.14 (i.e., 14%) per year and the initial population is
4.5x104 people, what will the population be after 15 years?
D. A certain radioactive element decays according to N=N0e-kt where the variables are
defined as above. If 50.0% of the original element sample remains after 9.0 days, what is
the decay rate?
E. Provide the formula to calculate pH. What does the pH give a relative measure of in a
solution? What is the range of the pH scale? State one chemical or household substance
that would be considered an acid and one that would be a base and give the approximate
pH of each substance.
F. Complete and balance the following equations and identify the type of reaction:
a. HNO3 + KOH
b. N2 + H2
(to form ammonia that is commonly used in industrial nitrogenbased fertilizers)
G. Use the ideal gas law (PV= nRT) to answer the following problems. Gas constant R =
0.08206 L*atm/mol*K
a. 16.5 grams of NO2 is compressed to a volume 0.50 L at a temperature of 0
degrees Celsius. What is the pressure of the gas in atmospheres?
b. Gas B is in a 4.0L tank. It is initially at a pressure of 3.5 atmospheres and a
temperature of 400 Kelvin. What will be the new pressure if the temperature is
decreased to 300 Kelvin?
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6. Ensure your name is on the front of your assignment. Additionally, on the last page of your
assignment and on a separate page from the rest of the work, clearly list the following
information in order:
A. Your name
B. Your home email address (one that you check often)
C. All other high school or college science courses you have taken. Include the teacher’s
name, and the overall final grade you earned. Also list any other science classes you
have during 2013-14.
D. What you plan to do after high school (it is understood this may change from day to day)
E. Your hobbies (include school sports and activities)
*** You will have a test covering this summer assignment including prerequisite course
review sometime during the first week we return. ***
The quality and timeliness of this assignment will be the basis of the first impression you make.
Follow directions closely – No Excuses. Good luck.
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AP Environmental Science
Summer Assignment
Current Event Article Worksheet
Article Title: _______________________________________________
Date of Article: ______________________
Author: __________________________________
Source: _______________________________________ (you will hand in a hard copy of each
article by the first day of class. Abstracts and internet link addresses are not acceptable.)
Topic Correlation: ____________________
Environmental Issue Presented in Article (provide a brief description of the issue, where it is
occurring (location, as well as type of biome being observed), short and long term impacts on the
ecosystem, as well as cultural, economic, or political considerations)
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Solutions (Give those presented in the article as well as those you would suggest. Give at least
three).
1.____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3.____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Unintended Consequences (No solution is perfect. Suggest possible unintended consequences
that could result from any of the solutions given above.)
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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