AP Environmental Science
2015-2016 Summer Assignment
Welcome to AP Environmental Science! The major topics of the class we will be covering this year are as
follows:
● Energy Systems and Resources – Atmosphere, Soil, Groundwater, and Geology
● The Living World – Ecosystems and Cycles
● Populations – Demographics, Dynamics and Growth
● Land and Water Use – Agriculture, Forestry, Mining, Fishing and Global Economics
● Energy Resources and Consumption- Fossil Fuels, Nuclear Energy, Conservation and Consumption
● Pollution – Types of Pollution and their Impacts, Waste Disposal
● Global Change – Ozone, Global Warming, Loss of Biodiversity
The summer assignment will give you a brief overview of all of the topics we will go over this year by looking at
some of the associated prerequisites and math calculations. Over the course of the year we will learn more
about the science and social issues associated with each of the topics. There are SIX parts to the summer
assignment; ONE of which is due by June 30th, THREE of which are due by July 30th, and the remaining TWO
will be collected on the first day of class. If you have any questions about this assignment, feel free to email
me at mwlangley@wsfcs.k12.nc.us or place your question on our Haiku classroom discussion board under
Class Questions. The summer assignment will count for a significant portion of your first nine weeks’ grade.
All work turned in must be your OWN work. No late work will be accepted.
All assignments can be emailed to mwlangley@wsfcs.k12.nc.us, uploaded to our Haiku classroom (digital
dropbox), or mailed to/dropped off at Atkins High School, 3605 Old Greensboro Road, Winston-Salem, NC
27101. Please keep in mind the school will be operating under an adjusted summer schedule which means
the school will be open Monday-Thursday only; the school will be closed every Friday till second week of
August.
The graded assignments are as follows:
1.
Part I. Join our Haiku classroom (directions below) – and then Post in the “Summer Assignment 1” Discussion
Thread (Discussion found under CONNECT option on menu bar) with the following information by June 30,
2015. (10 points)
● Briefly introduce yourself and tell me why you are taking AP Environmental Science.
● Tell me why you think you will be successful on the AP Exam.
● Tell me the type of learner you think you are (way you learn best)
● Tell me ALL high school science courses you have taken to date.
● NOTE: Feel free to email me at any time with questions on the summer assignment. I will be out of
town periodically so allow a few days for a response.
Getting Access to our Haiku classroom: How do I create a student account using a class invitation code?
Q: I have been sent an email invitation from my teacher but I am new to Haiku Learning. How do I create an
account and access my class?
A: Here are some simple instructions you can follow to get signed up for your new class using Haiku Learning.
❖ Go to the Web Address (URL) for the class you are invited to join (refer to email).
❖ Enter your Invitation code in the box provided and click next (refer to email). Parents have a separate
code if they want to set up an account which will be directly linked to your account.
❖ Refer to the following screen shots you may use as references for your account set-up.
❖ 3. On the next page, click the Student button to create a student account.
Note: If you already have a Haiku account, you can sign in on this page to be added to the class. If you do not
have a Haiku account, find the link for Register to create a new account.
Fill out the Create a New Account form and click "Create Account."
❖ 4. Once you click Create Account you will be assigned a username. From here you can Continue to my
class or you can use your new username and password to sign in at www.myhaikuclass.com.
❖ 5. Now that you have created a new account, you can log in to your Haiku account by going to
www.myhaikuclass.com. You will be asked to enter in the username and password that you created
during the "Create a New Account" stage.
*Note: Once you create an account with your invitation code, it becomes obsolete. You will not be able to
log in again using your invitation code. You must use your username and password associated with your
account.
Part 2. Obtain the following study guide: Cracking the AP Environmental Science Exam. New York, NY: The
Princeton Review. (Updated yearly. Get as recent of a guide as you can. Check sites such as amazon.com for
sales this time of year.) Read the introductory sections and take one of the practice exams. (Not graded)
2. Watch “Home” (link included on page with video questions) – Answer the video questions included in this
packet by July 30, 2015. You may complete these questions via typing a document (copy the questions
attached and follow with answer to question) and upload the completed document to the dropbox found in
the APES Haiku classroom. (25 points)
3. You must create vocabulary cards (or some other memorization helper, example: create a computer game,
PowerPoint presentation, make a folding chart, etc.) for each of the words/Legislation listed. There will be a
vocabulary/Legislation quiz on these words during the first week of school. You must also read the first
chapter of the textbook and answer the questions posed on the reading guide (50 TEST points for the
assignment itself, the quiz given the first week of school will be additional points)
● To be turned in by July 30, 2015-you may take a picture of your note cards, foldable, technology
created note cards etc. and upload to the digital dropbox (correct folder) in our Haiku classroom
should you want to hold on to your work and study so you will be ready for the quiz the first week of
school.
● Take the Quiz on Haiku about the pieces of Environmental Legislation– this will open up the day after
school ends, and close on July 30, 2015 (please do not use notes—this will be a practice quiz so you can
get an idea of how I word/format quizzes, you are getting points for completing not for accuracy.)
4. Math Problems – use the PREREQUISITE BASIC MATHEMATICAL SKILLS (attached) by July 30, 2015 (30
points) You may scan in your work and upload to Digital dropbox if you do not want to drop the work by the
school. Please note, do not use calculators and NO WORK/NO CREDIT!
5. Create a Booklet on Biogeochemical Cycles – use the SUMMARY OF BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES to create said
Booklet, be sure to include a colored hand drawings of the cycles where applicable (see attached notes). This
will be collected the First Day of Class (50 points)
● All work must be hand drawn/written.
● First page must have a title and your name clearly printed on the front.
● Must be stapled together.
6. scrAPES Notebook – summaries and responses to 3 articles dealing with environmental issues; the scrAPES
notebook will be collected the First Day of Class (45 points)
● Must purchase COMPOSITION NOTEBOOK to keep for scrAPES all year.
● See attached scrAPES Notebook Guidelines for details
“Home” by Yann Arthus-Bertrand
Name: __________________________________
Watch the video on YouTube and answer the following questions as you go-due by 7/30/15.
The link to the video is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU&feature=c4-videos-u
1. Describe the conditions on early Earth.
2. What happened to the carbon that poisoned the atmosphere?
3. How did the agricultural revolution change the Earth?
4. How has Earth changed in the last 60 years since the use of oil has become more widespread?
5. What is most of the grain in the US used for?
6. What led to the dramatic decline in the biodiversity of agricultural crop species?
7. How many kilos of water does it take to produce 1 kilo of beef?
8. How have cars shaped the way housing is laid out in the US and other developed countries?
9. How much has the volume of international trade increased since 1950?
10. What are your thoughts on how the video portrays Dubai? Is it self-sustainable?
11. Rainforests are cut down to make farmland for which products/crops?
12. What makes the growth of Lagos different from how most other cities grow?
13. Where does the water from Greenland’s melting ice sheet go?
14. Why are the glaciers of mountains so important for the people in the lowlands?
15. What hope does the video offer at the end?
This video project covers many topics that we will discuss in APES this year. Give three specific examples that
are portrayed in the video about each of the APES concepts listed below:
APES Concept
All living things are linked
Video Examples
1.
2.
3.
Developed vs. Developing Countries
1.
2.
3.
Faster and Faster Human Innovation and
Technology
1.
2.
3.
The Carbon Cycle
1.
2.
3.
Climatic Balance
1.
2.
3.
Shortage of Resources
1.
2.
3.
After watching the film, what topics are you most looking forward to learning about this year? What questions
do you have?
Chapter 1: Studying the State of our Earth: Vocabulary Terms
Assignment: You must create vocabulary cards (or some other memorization helper) for each of the following
words. There will be a vocabulary quiz on these words during the first week of school.
● Ecology
● Environmental Science
● Environmentalist
● Sustainability
● Commons (common property)
● tragedy of the commons
● ecological footprint
● natural capital
● renewable resource
● nonrenewable resource
● ecological or ecosystem service
● Poverty
● Affluenza
● Environmental Justice
Environmental Legislation
For the following list of laws, state the main objective of each law. Cite your sources properly, APA, on the
reference page. You must take the quiz on Haiku by July 30, 2015. You will turn in your notes/notecards for
the below the same day and same manner you turn in your vocabulary notecards for the above key terms.
1. Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1970, 1990
2. Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972
3. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund), 1980
4. Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973
5. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) , 1947
6. Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) of 1984
7. Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act)
8. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976
9. Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) of 1974
10. Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA) of 1965
11. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976
12. Wilderness Act of 1964
Chapter 1: Studying the State of our Earth: Reading Guide
Case Study – Living in an Exponential Age
1. How does the story of the two ancient kings illustrate exponential growth?
2. What are potential problems of having the population size of Earth increase exponentially?
Section 1-1 – What Is an Environmentally Sustainable Society?
3. What is the difference between environmental science and environmentalism?
4. Define sustainability.
5. Explain the four components of sustainability.
6. What does it mean to live off of earth’s natural capital? Why is this important?
Section 1-2 – How Can Environmentally Sustainable Societies Grow Economically?
7. What is environmentally sustainable economic development?
Section 1-3 – How Are Our Ecological Footprints Affecting the Earth?
8. Describe 2 examples of resources that are directly available for use and 2 examples of resources that are
not directly available for use.
9. Explain the difference between a renewable resource and a perpetual resource and give an example
each.
10. Explain how clear cutting tree in the rainforest is an example of environmental degradation.
11. Define the 3 types of property.
12. Explain how overfishing of yellowfin tuna is an example of tragedy of the commons. What are some
solutions to this problem?
13. What are some ways to extend supplies of nonrenewable resources? Give some
examples of how you practice these methods in your daily life.
14. When you compare China and the United States, why do you think China’s per
capita ecological footprint is so much less than the United States?
15. Describe the 3 major cultural changes that have occurred in the history of
humans. How does this relate the idea of sustainability?
Section 1-4 – What Is Pollution and What Can We Do about It?
of
16. What is the difference between point and nonpoint source pollution? Give an example of each.
17. What are the 3 effects of pollution?
18. What are the 3 problems associated with output pollution control?
19. What is the suggested alternative method to reducing pollution? Explain that method.
Section 1-5 – Why Do We Have Environmental Problems?
20. Identify the 5 major causes of environmental problems.
21. As you look at figure 1-13, which two factors do you think are most harmful? Why?
22. Describe one harmful and one beneficial effect of affluence. How does this make you feel being an
American?
23. Compare and contrast the 3 environmental worldviews. Which do you agree most with and why?
24. Explain how Chattanooga, Tennessee used social capital to reform the city.
Section 1-6 – What Are Four Scientific Principles of Sustainability?
25. Describe the 4 scientific principles of sustainability. How could these 4 principles
lead to a sustainability revolution?
PREREQUISITE BASIC MATHEMATICAL SKILLS NOTES
Percentage
17
17% =
●
●
●
●
= 0.17
100
Remember that “percent” literally means divided by 100
Percentage is a measure of the part of the whole, or part divided by whole.
For Example: 15 million is what percentage of the US population?
15 million
= 0.05 = 5%
300 million
For Example: What is 20% of this $15 bill so that I can give a good tip?
20
$15 x 0.20
= $3.00
100
Rates
Rise/Run = (y2-y1)/(x2-x1)
Slope = change/time
y=mx+b
● All of the above are ways to look at rates. The second equation is the easiest way to calculate a rate,
especially from looking at a graph. Rates will often be written using the word “per” followed by a unit
of time, such as cases per year, grams per minute, or miles per hour. The word “per” means to divide,
so miles per gallon is actually the number of miles driven by one gallon.
● Rates are calculating how much an amount changes in a given amount of time.
Scientific Notation
Thousand = 103 = 1,000 (notice how many zeros there are)
Million = 106 = 1,000,000 (300 million people in the US)
Billion = 109 = 1,000,000,000 (people on Earth = 7 billion)
Trillion = 1012 = 1,000,000,000,000 (National Debt)
● When using very large numbers, scientific notation is often easiest to manipulate. For example, the US
population is 300 million people or 300x106 or 3x108.
● When adding or subtracting, exponents must be the same. Add the numbers in front of the ten and
keep that exponent the same.
● When multiplying or dividing, multiply or divide the number in front of the ten and add the exponents
if multiplying or subtract the exponents if dividing.
● Online tutorial: http://www.chem.tamu.edu/class/fyp/mathrev/mr-scnot.html
● For Example:
9 x 106 = 9
X 10(6-2) = 3 x 104
3x102
3
Dimensional Analysis (think Chemistry)
● You should be able to convert any unit into any other unit accurately if given the conversion factor.
Online tutorials are available:
o http://www.chemprofessor.com/dimension_text.htm
o http://www.chem.tamu.edu/class/fyp/mathrev/mr-da.html
Prefixes
Table obtained from wpscms.pearsoncmg.com551
Long Division and Multiplication
● You should be able to do these calculations by hand, including values with decimals and scientific
notation. Many students struggle in this area because CALCULATORS ARE NOT ALLOWED ON THE AP
EXAM. Online tutorials are available:
o http://www.mathsisfun.com/dividing-decimals.html
o http://www.tutors4you.com/tutorialondecimals.htm
Math Practice Problems
Name: __________________________________
Answer the questions, use a separate sheet of paper to show all work. Write only the answers in the space
provided. You are NOT allowed to use a calculator on the AP Exam, to do your best to do all calculations by
hand.
1. What is ten thousand times one hundred million? Show your work in scientific notation. Give the answer in
scientific notation and in words. (3 pts.)
2. A population of deer had 325 individuals. If the population grows by 16% in one year, how many deer will
there be the next year? (3 pts.)
3. One year I had 124 AP Environmental Science students and the next year I had 87 Environmental Science
students. What percentage did the population of APES students decrease by? (round to the nearest tenth)
(3 pts.)
4. Electricity costs 7 cents per kilowatt hour. In one month, one home uses 1.8 megawatt hours of electricity.
How much will the electric bill be? (be sure to look at the prefixes chart on the previous page for the
conversion of kilo to mega) (3 pts.)
5. Your car gets 21 miles to the gallon and your friend’s car gets 28 miles to the gallon. You decide to go on a
road trip to Colorado State University, which is 314 miles away. If gas costs $4 per gallon and you decide to
split the gas money, how much money will each of you save in gas by driving your friend’s car? (3 pts.)
6. Virginia Beach is about 20 miles wide and 28 miles long. If one inch of rain falls on Virginia Beach, how many
cubic feet of rain fell on Virginia Beach? (Hint: convert all units to feet first) (3 pts.)
7. The concentration of mercury in a water supply changes from 10 ppm (parts per million) to 56 ppm over a
ten-year period. What is the percentage change of the mercury concentration? (3 pts.)
8. Consider a wind turbine that is rated at 1.5 MW (megawatts) per hour. This means that with sufficiently
high winds, it will produce 1.5 MW of 1,500 kW (kilowatts) of power. If this wind turbine runs at its rated
power of 100% of the time for a full year, how much energy would it produce in a year? Give your answers in
kWh/year (kilowatt hours per year) (3 pts.)
9. SHOW YOUR WORK for the following multiplication and division problems. You can use a calculator to check
your work, but I want to see that you understand how to solve these problems by hand. Just like on the AP
exam, no credit is given if you don’t show your work. (1 pt. each)
a. 75.3 x 16.9
b. 1964 x 0.718
c. 5.80 x 10-3 x 2.17
d. 2362/71.9
e. 0.08/0.0094
f. 4.60 x 104/0.0530
SUMMARY OF BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES—notes you can use to create your booklet; don’t forget to be
creative.
Carbon Cycle
● Is an atmospheric cycle.
● Carbon is required for formation of organic compounds in living things.
● C in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and in the water is moved to C in glucose by photosynthesis by
producers.
● C in glucose is moved to C in carbon dioxide by cellular respiration.
● C in glucose is moved to C in organic molecules by synthesis reactions in living things.
● C in organic molecules in organisms is moved to C in fossil fuels over millions of years by pressure,
heat, and bacterial action.
● C in limestone (CaCO3) is released slowly to C in carbon dioxide when exposed to oxygen and/or water.
● Largest reservoir of carbon in sedimentary rocks (limestone).
● Second largest reservoir of carbon in the ocean (dissolved carbon dioxide), and in living things in the
ocean.
● In water:
CO2 + H2O  HCO3- (bicarbonate ions) + CO32- (carbonate ions)
Ca2+ + CO32-  CaCO3 (calcium carbonate) in shells/skeletons of aquatic organisms
CaCO3  buried over a long period of time; pressure  limestone
● Human Impact:
o Removal of vegetation reduced absorption of carbon dioxide by photosynthesis from the
atmosphere and increases atmospheric CO2.
o Burning of fossil fuels increases atmospheric CO2.
o Increase in atmospheric CO2 leads to an increased Greenhouse EffectGlobal Climate Change
Awesome Carbon Cycle Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jp1D1dzxj8
Nitrogen Cycle
● Is an atmospheric cycle.
● Plants and animals cannot use free nitrogen gas in the atmosphere. They must have nitrogen in “fixed”
form. Nitrogen is required for proteins and nucleic acids in living things.
● Free N2 in the atmosphere is “fixed” by nitrogen-fixing bacteria to NH3 (ammonia):
N2 + 3H2 2NH3
● Nitrogen fixing bacteria live in nodules on the roots of leguminous plants (soybeans, peas, clover and
alfalfa).
● Water in the soil reacts with ammonia to form NH4+ (ammonium ion).
● Another species of bacteria can perform nitrification once ammonia has formed.
NH4+  NO2- (nitrite; toxic)  NO3- (nitrate; plant nutrient)
● Assimilation – absorption of ammonia, ammonium ion, nitrate for use by plants to make nucleic acids
and proteins.
● Animals get fixed nitrogen by eating plants or other animals.
● Plants and animals are broken down by still other bacteria that convert nitrogen-containing organic
molecules in organisms to an inorganic form of nitrogen (ammonia or ammonium ion) =
ammonification
● Once this ammonia has formed, still another group of bacteria can perform denitrification:
NH3 or NH4+  NO2- and/or NO3-  N2 and N2O (nitrous oxide)
● Nitrogen is often the limiting factor in plant growth because ammonia, ammonium ions and nitrate are
water-soluble and can be leached from the soil.
● Human Intervention:
In the atmosphere: N2 + O2  2NO (nitric oxide) produced when burning fuel or forests. (Heat
combines N2 and O2 present in the atmosphere.
NO + O2  NO2 (nitrogen dioxide gas)
NO2 + H2O  HNO3 (nitric acid – dissolved in water causes acid deposition)
o N2O (nitrous oxide) released from decomposition of fertilizer and waste.
o Excess nitrogen added to aquatic systems by runoff of artificial fertilizer, farm waste, and
discharge of sewage. This stimulates growth of algae. Breakdown of algae by aerobic
decomposers depletes the water of oxygen and causes everything to die.
Phosphorus Cycle
● Phosphorus is required in the form of phosphate ions for nucleic acids, ATP, phospholipids in cell
membranes, bones, teeth, shells of animals.
● PO43- = phosphate
● Is a sedimentary cycle – does not include the atmosphere.
● Phosphate on land and in ocean sediment released by weathering into water and taken up by plants.
Can be limiting factor for plant growth – is present in artificial fertilizer.
● Animals get phosphorus by eating plants or other animals.
● Decomposition changes organic molecules with phosphorus back into phosphate which dissolves in
water which returns the phosphorus back into phosphate which dissolves in water which returns the
phosphorus to ocean sediment or deposited as rocks.
● Human intervention:
o Mining of phosphate for fertilizers and soap causes disruption to ecosystems.
o Removal of phosphorus from ecosystems by cutting down vegetation. Most of phosphorus is
taken up as biomass.
o Excessive phosphate in runoff from fertilizer, discharge of sewage, farm waste causes growth of
algae, etc. (same problem as nitrogen).
Sulfur Cycle
● Is an atmospheric cycle.
● H2S (hydrogen sulfide) and SO2 (sulfur dioxide) released into atmosphere from natural (volcanoes) and
non-natural sources.
H2S + O2  SO2
SO2 + O2  SO3 (sulfur trioxide) or
SO2 + H2O  H2SO4 (sulfuric acid) acid deposition, sulfur returned to water and soil,
taken up by plants and animals.
● Human Intervention:
o Sulfur-containing coal, when burned, released SO2 and other industrial processes.
Water Cycle
Important Terms:
● Absolute Humidity
● Aquifer
● Condensation
● Dew Point
● Evaporation
● Infiltration
● Percolation
● Precipitation
●
●
●
●
Relative Humidity
Runoff
Transpiration
Water Table
More Awesome Videos:
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D7hZpIYlCA
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leHy-Y_8nRs
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLuSi_6Ol8M
scrAPES Notebook
In environmental science, it is important to know about current issues in the news. One of my goals for
this course is to familiarize you with environmental issues that are important to our community, our country,
and our world. We will be reading and discussing a variety of current events throughout the school year as
well. This is a great opportunity for you to start thinking about the environment and how it affects you. Over
the course of the summer, find three recent articles related to Environmental Science. Over the course of each
quarter you will complete 10, (20 per semester) which will be part of your final grade.
Environmental
Law
Water Pollution
Ecosystems
Climate
Evolution
Population
Cities and Waste
Geology and
Energy Resources
Preserving our
Biodiversity
Food/Agriculture
Health Risks
Air Pollution
All articles should be current (during the past 2 years) and taken from a reliable source. The sources
may be scientific publications, popular magazines, newspapers or the like. Try the NY Times (especially
Tuesday), Washington Post, National Geographic, Discover Magazine, Natural History Magazine, Scientific
American, Science, Nature, Treehugger.com, etc. The articles should be long enough (more than 4 paragraphs)
for you to write a substantial summary and well thought-out response. Try to find a variety of articles at the
local, state, national, and global level (i.e. not all articles should be about the BP Oil Spill in Louisiana) and that
cover three different topics from the list above (for the summer assignment), and ALL of the topics above by
the end of each semester. You are encouraged to use local sources. For the summer assignment you must
have one of the three articles focus on North Carolina.
Journal Format: Each student will be responsible for purchasing a composition notebook, to serve as
your scrAPES notebook. It will be organized in the following way:
1. Title Page
2. Directions (yes, the page you are reading)
3. Table of Contents (must list title, source, date, and page number in journal)
4. Each written summary/analysis followed by the article itself—article must be pasted in your notebook
(follow format)
*All pages in the journal must be numbered in the lower right hand corner.
**All writing must be legible and either written in black or blue ink—all article analysis must be handwritten.
Article Analysis: Include all of the following components and clearly identify each component – Following
the title, label as (b) Summary, (c) Analysis, etc.
a) Title: use the complete APA format for each article you use and follow punctuation rules
b) Summary: Give a brief summary of the article (in your own words); be sure to include:
1. What is the problem? When did it begin?
2. Who are the responsible parties, if they are known?
3. How severe is the environmental impact?
c) Analysis: (include and clearly label each of the following points of your analysis)
1. Points of View: Does the article give two different points of view? Yes or No. If yes, what are they?
2. Bias: The order in which information is presented and the amount of text devoted to influencing a
reader’s opinion is called bias. Is this article biased, and if so, which way is the article biased (slanted)?
In your opinion does the author give a positive, negative or neutral view of the environmental science
topic? Explain.
3. Controversy: Is there any controversy surrounding this article? If so, briefly state it.
4. Your Perspective: State your perspective on this news article based on your personal knowledge of
the topic and your reading of this article. In other words, what are your thoughts on the issue(s)
presented in this article?
5. Effect on You: How does this topic affect you, or how does it relate to your life?