Course title

Pre-requisite

Course description

Advanced Placement Environmental Science (APES)
Course Description

The APES is based on the College Board requirements at apcentral.collegeboard.com. The stated themes are as follows:
1. Science is a process.
? Science is a method of learning more about the world.
? Science constantly changes the way we understand the world.
2. Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes.
? Energy cannot be created; it must come from somewhere.
? As energy flows through systems; at each step more of it becomes unusable.
3. The Earth itself is one interconnected system.
? Natural systems change over time and space.
? Biogeochemical systems vary in ability to recover from disturbances.
4. Humans alter natural systems.
? Humans have had an impact on the environment for millions of years.
? Technology and population growth have enabled humans to increase both the rate and scale of their impact on the environment.
5. Environmental problems have a cultural and social context.
? Understanding the role of cultural; social; and economic factors is vital to the development of solutions.
6. Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems.
? A suitable combination of conservation and development is required.
? Management of common resources is essential.
Topic Outline
I. 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; atmospheric circulation and the Coriolis Effect; atmosphere-ocean interfaces; 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)
II. 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)
III. 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)
IV. Land and Water Use (10-15%)
A. Agriculture
1. Feeding a growing population
(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 pesticides 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)
V. 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
(Dams; flood control; salmon; silting; other impacts)
F. Energy Conservation
(Energy efficiency; CAF… standards; hybrid electric vehicles; mass transit)
G. Renewable Energy
(Solar energy; solar electricity; hydrogen fuel cells; biomass; wind energy; small-scale hydroelectric; ocean waves and tidal energy; geothermal; environmental advantages/disadvantages)
VI. 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 pollution
(Sources; effects; control measures)
3. Water pollution
(Types; sources; causes; and effects; cultural eutrophication; ground-water 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)
VII. 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

APES Course and Laboratory Syllabus
*denotes wet lab as opposed to computer simulation or paper-and-pencil lab
Approximately one third of class time is spent doing lab work. Unit exams are after each topic series.

Weeks 1-6- Chapters 1-5: Intro; Cycles; Ecosystems; Evolution; Biodiversity; Climate; and Terrestrial Biomes
Topics: history; 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics; geochemical cycles; adaptation and speciation; climatology; terrestrial biodiversity

Labs: *Biosphere III (long-term)
*Winogradsky columns (long-term)
*Garbage dump (long-term)
*Compost (long-term)
Timeline
*Energy transformations- observation of a burning candle
*Working water cycle model
*Investigation of photosynthesis of an aquatic plant (using Elodea and desk lamps)
*Investigation of the effect of nitrates on an aquatic plant using Elodea
*Measurements of an earthworm?s niche
Evolution simulation
*Weather predictions and measurements
*Working models of types of density currents

Weeks 7-13- Chapters 6-12: Aquatic Biomes; Ecology; and Sustaining Biodiversity
Topics: aquatic biodiversity; wetlands; community ecology; population ecology; human population; conservation; preservation; sustainability

Labs: Aquatic biome flowchart
*Succession sites you can find around the campus
*Oh; Deer!
*Predator-Prey simulation using chopsticks and beans
*Species diversity using quadrats and transects
*Mold population growth on bread
Human population curves
Debates on species preservation

Weeks 14-17- Chapters 13-17: Key Resources
Topics: food; pests; water; geology; minerals; energy

Labs: *Soil properties- permeability; water capacity; and density
Erosion sites around campus
Thanksgiving simulation
Water use inventory
*Desalination by evaporation and condensation
*Weathering rocks using sandpaper; acid; and freezing
*Making a seismograph
*Minerals in products (a selection of 50 household products)
Cookie mining
*Copper extraction (embedded in Plaster of Paris as CuSO4)
*Making electricity using a generator
*Passive solar heating
*Investigation of photovoltaics using solar cells

Week 18- Midterm

Weeks 19-25- Chapters 18-22: Environmental Quality
Topics: toxicology; air pollution; global warming; ozone depletion; water pollution; solid wastes; hazardous materials

Labs: *LD-50 using bean sprouts
*Infectious disease investigation (using blacklights)
*PM comparisons
*Ground-level ozone comparison
*Greenhouse effect- making a working model
*Investigation using UV-sensitive beads
*UV effect on plants- alfalfa sprouts in a UV cabinet
Map of moles- personal inventory to monitor skin cancer
*Oil spill clean up
*Water purification using flocculation and filtration
*Trash investigation- analysis of classroom trash
*Litter analysis- analysis of campus litter
*Separating recycleds
Hazardous materials inventory

Weeks 26-30- Sustainable Human Societies
Topics: redesigning cities; economics; politics

Labs: debates

Weeks 31-34- Review

Weeks 35-36- Completion of long-term projects

Week 37- Final

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Date submitted

Approved

Approved competency code

• LADV
• Advanced science

• LINT
• Integrated science

Approved date

Online / Virtual