AP Environmental Science (APES)
Summer Assignment 2013-2014
Welcome to AP Environmental Science or APES! I’m looking forward to getting to know you and
working with you next year. In order to set the tone for next year and get us thinking about the
environment, you will need to complete some work during the summer. This assignment is due on
the first day of school and incompletion of the summer assignment will automatically lower your
grade by one letter grade for Semester 1 of this course (but hey, you’re too smart for that). It will
consist of three parts: outdoor observations and reflection, article review, and math problems.
If this packet looks big and overwhelming, take a breath. It does have some work for you to do,
but also lots of examples and information to help you be successful.
The major topics of the class 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 its impact, waste disposal
Global Change- ozone, global warming, loss of biodiversity
Have a fun, safe, and adventurous summer and contact me with any questions you may have.
Mr. Denlinger
Contact Information
Email: jdenlinger@noscihigh.org
Phone: (563) 543-1012
*** SPECIAL NOTE: Save and bring 2L bottles to school next year for an experiment we’ll be conducting.
You’ll receive extra points for each bottle you bring, but be sure it has the right shape. Start saving NOW!!
CORRECT SHAPE
Must have a dome shaped top.
WRONG SHAPE
New Coke Products won’t work
Part 1. Visit a natural outdoor area, go for a walk, or find a place to relax and make some
observations. This experience will be more meaningful and beneficial to you if you go beyond
your backyard. Here are some nearby places you could visit:
o Audubon Park
o City Park
o Bayou Savage National Wildlife Refuge (Lacombe)
o Jean Lafitte National Park/ Barataria Preserve
o Bayou Segnette State Park (Marrero)
o Bayou Bienvenue Observation Deck (Lower Ninth Ward)
Use the attached Outdoor Observation Record Sheet in order to document your observations.
NOTE: If you come upon any interesting creatures (whether large or small), try not to interfere with
the animal’s actions so that you can observe its normal behavior. Take some time to observe them
and note what they are doing. Hopefully, this may lead you to some questions and then
hypotheses. The following are examples of questions I tried to answer from observations of a lizard
outside my house:
-
What does the animal eat? What predators must it be on the lookout for?
How have humans altered this organism’s environment & how has it adapted?
If the population of this species decreased or increased significantly, what other
organisms would be affected and how?
After recording your observations, compose a reflection that describes your experience and what
you observed. This reflection should be no less than 250 words and simply includes the details from
your Outdoor Observation Record Sheet, but in paragraph form. Your reflection may also include
answers or hypotheses to the example questions above, as well as how you felt about the
experience overall.
Part 2: Read at least one of the attached articles and write a brief summary of the article along
with a personal reaction. Your response should be no less than 250 words. Your personal reaction
should clearly state your opinions and/or reflection on the article. You can offer potential solutions,
compare it to another environmental problem, and ask questions about the article. Do not simply
write, “This article was very interesting/good.” The following are questions that might help you in
writing your response to the article. They are meant to assist you in thinking about the article and
writing your response in the form of an essay, rather than just questions to be answered.
-What are the key points made in the article?
-Describe the point of view presented about this issue? Is there a point of view missing from the
article?
-How have humans contributed to this environmental problem?
-What social factors are involved in this issue?
-What economic factors are involved in the issue?
-Are there examples or suggestions of how we might improve the situation?
-Has this article made you consider altering your behavior in any way? How and why?
-Does it support or refute other information you’ve heard before? How so/ in what way?
Attached Articles:
“Is Your Lunch Causing Global Warming?”
“Moving the Mississippi”
Part 3. Math Problems- Answer the questions and show all work. There are only five problems, but
an example with steps precedes each problem. Use a separate sheet of paper if necessary.
(Note: the APES Exam does not permit the use of a calculator, so get in the habit of calculating
without one).
1. Example: What is three million times two thousand? Show your work in scientific notation.
Step 1- Write out the numbers to be multiplied.
3,000,000 x 2,000
Step 2- Multiply the nonzero numbers and add the total number of zeros involved in both
numbers
(in this case 9 zeros).
6,000,000,000 (six trillion)
Step 3- Convert from standard notation to scientific notation by moving the decimal point to
produce a factor between 1 and 10 (in this case 6.0). Count the number of places the decimal
point moved (in this case 9) and the direction. Remove the zeros at the end and multiply by 10n
where n equals the number of places moved. In this case because the number is larger than 1, n is
a positive number. If the number were a number less than one (ex: 0.0045), n would be a negative
number.
6.0 x 109
YOUR TURN: What is forty thousand times seven hundred? Show your work in scientific notation.
YOUR TURN AGAIN: What is eight-hundred and forty times thirty thousand? Show your work in
scientific notation.
2. Example: A population of deer had 200 individuals. If the population grows by 15% in one year,
how many deer will there be next year?
Step 1- Multiply the current population times the growth rate (remember that 15% really means
15/100 or 0.15).
200 current deer
x .15
30 new deer
Step 2 – Add the new individuals to the current population.
200 deer + 30 deer = 230 deer
YOUR TURN: The current population of rabbits in a given area was 400 individuals. If the population
grows by 20% in one year, how many rabbits will there be next year?
YOUR TURN AGAIN: The population of nutria rats in a nearby wetland started was at 30 last month,
but the population of this invasive species is growing quickly at a rate of 40% per year. How many
nutria rats can be expected in the next year?
3. Example: One year I had 40 AP Environmental Science students and the next year I had 50 APES
students, what percentage did the population of students grow by?
Note: In this case we are working backwards from Problem 2.
Step 1- Calculate the difference between the new population and the previous population.
50 students- 40 students = 10 students
Step 2- Divide the number of new individuals by the previous population.
10 / 40 = 0.25
Step 3- Convert the decimal to a percentage by multiplying by 100 (or moving the decimal 2
places to the right.
0.25 x 100 = 25%
YOUR TURN: Last month you counted six stray cats living near your home, while this month you
have counted ten stray cats near your home. According to your observations, by what percent
did this stray cat population grow since last month?
YOUR TURN AGAIN: The overly ripe bananas in your kitchen have attracted some fruit flies. You
counted twelve fruit flies yesterday, but today there are already twenty-one fruit flies. By what
percent has the fruit fly population grown in just a day?
4. Example: Electricity costs 6 cents per kilowatt hour. In one month one home uses 2 megawatt
hours of electricity. How much will the electric bill be? (kilo = 1,000 , mega = 1,000, 000)
Step 1- If kilo = 1,000 and mega = 1,000,000 then by dividing a kilowatt hour into a megawatt
hour will give us the number of kilowatt hours in one megawatt hour.
1,000,000 / 1,000 = 1,000 kilowatt hours
Step 2- Multiply the number of megawatt hours times 1,000 to convert to kilowatt hours
and then multiply times the cost of electricity which is 6 cents (0.06).
2 x 1,000 x 0.06 = $120
YOUR TURN: Electricity in a nearby town costs 5 cents per kilowatt-hour. The average family in this
town uses 3 megawatt hours of electricity. How much is the average family’s electricity bill in this
nearby town?
YOUR TURN AGAIN: Your family normally uses about 2,200 kilowatt hours of electricity each month.
If electricity costs seven cents per kilowatt-hour, about how much does your family spend on
electricity each month?
5. Example: Your car gets 15miles per gallon (mpg) and your friend’s car gets 25 mpg. You decide
to go on a road trip to Pensacola, which is 200 miles away. If gas costs $4 per gallon and you
decide to split the gas money, how much money will you save in gas by driving to Pensacola in
your friend’s car?
Step 1- Determine how many gallons will be required to make the trip in each car by dividing the
total distance by the mpg of each car.
Your car
200 miles / 15 mpg = 13.3 gallons
Friend’s car
200 miles / 25 mpg = 8.0 gallons
Step 2- Calculate the cost of gas for each car by multiplying the cost of gas by the quantity of
gas required for each car. Then divide the cost by the number of people splitting gas.
Your car
$4 per gallon x 13.3 gallons = $53.20/ 2 = $26.60
Friend’s car
$4 per gallon x 8.0 gallons = $32.00/ 2 = $16.00
Step 3- Find out how much money you’ll save by subtracting the different costs between each
vehicle.
$26.60 - $16.00 = $10.60
YOUR TURN: Your new hybrid car gets 40 mpg and your sister’s car gets 22 mpg. You are taking a
road trip together to Atlanta, which is about 300 miles away. If gas costs $3.80 per gallon and you
decide to split the gas with her and her friend, how much money will you save by using your car to
travel to Atlanta?
YOUR TURN AGAIN: Your family usually puts about 250 miles on the family truck each month. This
large SUV (sport utility vehicle) gets about 15 mpg so your family is looking at more efficient
vehicles that get about 25 mpg. Calculate your how much your family would save by purchasing
the more efficient vehicle over the current family SUV.
Outdoor Observation Record Sheet
A.P. Environmental Science
Observed by_____________________________________________
Date:
Start Time:
End Time:
General Location
(Park/ Preserve Name,
Address, City, State)
Specific Location
(Ex: Trail name, near a
pond, etc.)
Weather Description
Geology/ Terrain
(Ex: Rocky, sandy, hilly,
flat, etc.)
Biome
(Ex: Marsh, deciduous
forest, swamp, etc.)
Flora (Plants)
Type:
Evidence: (Climate & plants)
List the names of any plants, trees, flowers, etc. observed. If you don’t know the
names, describe them by color, shape of leaf, etc. (If artistic you may draw
them on another sheet).
Fauna (Animals)
Be as specific as possible. Rather than just listing birds, write egrets. Again, if you
don’t know describe them with as much detail as possible. (You could draw
these on another sheet also).
Detailed Observations
on Specific Fauna
Name or Description of Organism:
Location:
Interactions with different species:
Interactions with same species:
Food/ Water Sources:
Predators:
Response to Human Presence:
Enviro. Problems (Ex:
Pollution, Erosion)
Other Notes/ Further
Questions
Is Your Lunch Causing Global Warming?
Cars and factories are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions that are heating up the planet.
But what you eat may have even more of an impact.
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
As you go through the cafeteria line and grab a roast beef sandwich and a bag of chips or a salad and a couple of
cookies, maybe you're thinking about how much money or how many calories lunch will cost you.
But here's something you're probably not thinking about: Is your lunch a cause of climate change?
When people think about what's behind global warming, the images that tend to spring to mind are factory
smokestacks and cars spewing tailpipe exhaust. And cars and power generation, whether for factories or to heat and
cool our homes, are indeed major causes. But what we eat—and the energy required to grow, harvest, process, and
transport all that food—may have an even bigger impact.
"It's an area that's been largely overlooked," says Rajendra Pachauri, head of the United Nations Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change.
An estimated 25 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions produced by people in industrialized nations can be traced
to the food they eat, according to a recent study in Sweden.
Most scientists today think that global warming—the rise in Earth's temperature due to a buildup of heat-trapping
greenhouse gases—is having a significant, and possibly disastrous, impact. There is already evidence of glaciers and
arctic ice sheets melting, which could eventually cause ocean levels to rise so much that coastal areas around the
world would be flooded.
Beef vs. Carrots
Since foods vary enormously in the emissions released in their production and transportation, experts say that
changing our diets (which would prompt changes in the entire food-production chain) could have as much impact
on reducing emissions of climate-changing gases as switching to a hybrid car or getting rid of the clothes dryer.
Meat is perhaps the worst culprit. Producing a pound of beef generates 11 times as much greenhouse gas as
producing a pound of chicken, and 100 times as much as producing a pound of carrots.
The United Nations estimates that livestock—the trillions of cows, pigs, and chickens raised for food—generate 18
percent of the emissions that are causing climate change. That's more, the U.N. says, than the emissions from cars,
buses, and planes put together.
Consider the environmental impact of eating a burger. Today, there's a good chance your burger comes from meat
produced in an industrial feedlot like the one in Garden City, Kansas, where 37,000 cows are packed into an
enormous grid of steel-fenced pens. Each pen holds 150 cows.
These feedlot operations are so efficient that they've lowered the cost of beef to the point that it's no longer a luxury
item, but an inexpensive fast-food staple around the globe.
Living Smokestacks
But scientists say the environmental consequences of the industrial production of meat are enormous.
First, the animals themselves are living smokestacks. As part of their digestive process, cows emit methane, a powerful
greenhouse gas. And then there's the manure, which contains methane and nitrous oxide (another greenhouse gas).
A single beef cow creates about 15 tons of manure in a year. In Iowa alone, hog farms produce more than 50 million
tons of manure a year.
One of the most important effects on the environment is indirect, and therefore less obvious: Industrial meat
production is a key factor behind deforestation of the Amazon and other tropical rain forests. They're being cleared to
create fields to grow the feed needed for all those cows, especially corn and soy, which the cows eat instead of the
grass they'd munch on if they were grazing in fields as they used to do.
In fact, most of the corn and soy grown today goes to feed cattle, pigs, and chickens, not people. And all that grain
requires vast quantities of chemical fertilizer, which in turn takes vast quantities of oil‫ק‬.2 gallons to create the fertilizer
for every bushel. Finally, cutting down rain forests, which are full of carbon-absorbing trees, further exacerbates
climate change by reducing the planet's ability to soak up carbon.
So what can we do to reduce the carbon footprint of our diets? The simplest answer is to eat less meat. Geophysicists
Gideon Eshel and Pamela A. Martin calculated that if Americans reduced their meat consumption by 20 percent, it
would save as much energy as every American switching from a standard sedan—like a Camry—to an ultra-efficient
Prius. (Nutritionists say we'd be better off eating less meat anyway. The protein in meat is also available in fish, beans,
and eggs.)
So far, the response to global warming has focused mostly on cleaning up polluting industries, boosting car mileage,
and using more renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. To curb global warming, Congress is debating a
system known as cap-and-trade: The government would set a cap on the total amount of emissions permitted and
give factories and other large-scale pollution sources emission allowances. Those using less than their allotment could
sell the remainder to other businesses that need more.
Counting Carbon
The Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty addressing global warming, which the U.S. never ratified, expires in 2012. (It
was named for the Japanese city where it was negotiated.) World leaders have been trying to negotiate a new
framework for tackling climate change (a global summit on climate change took place in Copenhagen, Denmark,
last month), but it's been slow going—in part because industrialized countries like the U.S. and developing countries
like India can't agree on who should shoulder most of the costs.
In all these international discussions, the impact of food has been largely overlooked. But a few countries have begun
to take steps to reduce emissions from the food supply. There's even been some talk of including agricultural emissions
in cap-and-trade programs, which usually focus on industries like car-making and power generation. (New Zealand
plans to include agriculture in its emissions trading system by 2013.)
And in Europe a number of countries are trying some new approaches to reduce the environmental impact of their
food.
Last year, Sweden became the first country to start posting information on the carbon footprint of various foods on
supermarket shelves and restaurant menus. Officials are hoping that once consumers know the environmental costs
of their food, they will begin to make greener choices.
Max, a Swedish fast-food chain, now puts emissions counts next to each item on its menus. Since they started
appearing, sales of more "climate-friendly" items have risen 20 percent. (Max's hamburger generates more than four
times the emissions of the chicken sandwich.)
In the Netherlands, farmers are experimenting with cooking pig manure to capture the methane gas trapped within it,
and then using the gas to make electricity for the local power grid. (California is working on a program to encourage
the use of similar systems in the state's pig and dairy farms.)
In Denmark, farmers are now required to inject manure under the soil instead of laying it on top of the fields—a
process that enhances its fertilizing effect, reduces odors, and also prevents emissions from escaping.
It looks like Earth will need all these efforts and more, since experts say it's unlikely that meat consumption will fall in the
years ahead. In fact, trend lines are heading in the other direction: Meat consumption is expected to double globally
between 2000 and 2050. In large developing countries like China, India, and Brazil, consumption of red meat has risen
33 percent in the last decade, as millions of people have moved out of poverty and can afford to eat better.
"So whether you like it or not, there's going to be rising demand for meat," says Laurence Wrixon, executive director of
the International Meat Secretariat, "and our job is to make it as sustainable as possible."
(The New York Times Upfront, Vol. 142, January 18, 2010)
Moving the Mississippi
Would changing the river's course help save the vanishing coastline of Louisiana?
By Cornelia Dean
For thousands of years, the Mississippi River has acted like a conveyor belt, carrying millions of tons of
sediment downstream each year. And before its flow was controlled, the river meandered across the
region, spreading its nutrient-rich contents along coastal Louisiana.
But since the 1820s, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began building levees and dams for protection
against flooding, the Mississippi River has essentially been trapped and artificially channeled into the deep
waters of the Gulf of Mexico. As a result, the wetlands and barrier islands along Louisiana's coast, which
were once regularly replenished by river sediment, have begun to deteriorate—and disappear.
Scientists have long said that the only way to restore Louisiana's vanishing coastline is to undo the
elaborate levee system and divert the river to the sediment-starved marshes below New Orleans to the
southeast. The idea, previously dismissed as impractical, too expensive, and lethal to the region's economy,
is now gaining widespread support. State officials are embracing it, motivated not only by the lessons of
Hurricane Katrina but also by fears that global climate change will bring rising seas and accelerated land
loss.
Huge Implications
The best way to protect against future storms, officials now agree, is to allow the muddy river to dump that
rich sediment where it's needed most. The hope is that this would slow or even reverse the land loss along
coastal Louisiana.
But the prospect of moving a river has huge implications—political, social, and economic—for the people
who live near the proposed diversion and for the businesses of the region.
Experts say there would also be tremendous engineering challenges, particularly in finding a new way for
freighters to make their way into the Mississippi's shipping channel—not to mention the monumental cost of
such an enormous project.
At the same time, there is a growing recognition that the cost of not acting may be just as high. Along the
Louisiana coast, in the delta plain, much of the land is only a few feet above sea level. If seas rise as
expected by two or three feet in the next century, Louisiana's land loss will only accelerate.
Such a program would not turn things around immediately, but many see it as a crucial step for Louisiana.
"Is it practical? Yes," says James T.B. Tripp, a member of the Louisiana Governor's Commission for Coastal
Restoration. "Will it be expensive? Yes. But when you look at the alternatives, it's very cost effective."
AP Environmental Science (APES) Summer Assignment RUBRIC
Part 1: Observation Record Sheet
5
4
3
2
1
0
All parts
Mostly
Acceptable, Poor effort
Little effort
Unscorable/
complete
complete
but
(5-6 parts
(only1-2
no product
(missing 1-2
incomplete
missing)
parts
parts)
(3-4 parts)
complete)
Your score from above ___________ x 4 = ____________ / 20
Reflection in Response to Observations
5
4
3
2
At least 250
Almost long
Over ½ the
Attempted,
words, easy to
enough,
length met,
but short,
read, interesting,
interesting,
interesting,
interesting,
w/o repetition.
w/o
little or no
and some
repetition.
repetition.
repetition.
Your score from above ___________ x 6 = ____________ / 30
1
Little effort
shown/ very
difficult to
read,
uninteresting.
0
Unscorable/
no product
Part 2: Response to Articles
5
4
3
2
At least 250
Almost long
Over ½ the
Attempted,
words, easy to
enough,
length met,
but short,
read, interesting,
interesting,
interesting,
interesting,
w/o repetition.
w/o
little or no
and some
repetition.
repetition.
repetition.
Your score from above ___________ x 6 = ____________ / 30
1
Little effort
shown/ very
difficult to
read,
uninteresting.
0
Unscorable/
no product
Part 3 Math Section
Each problem is worth 2 points = 1 for correct answer + 1 for showing work correctly (see your worksheet).
10 problems x 2 = 20 points……. ..Your score ___________/ 20
Your total score _________ / 100 = _________%
- (minus) _______ % deduction for turning in late = ________ % (Final Score)
AP Environmental Science (APES) Summer Assignment RUBRIC
Part 1: Observation Record Sheet
5
4
3
2
1
0
All parts
Mostly
Acceptable, Poor effort
Little effort
Unscorable/
complete
complete
but
(5-6 parts
(only1-2
no product
(missing 1-2
incomplete
missing)
parts
parts)
(3-4 parts)
complete)
Your score from above ___________ x 4 = ____________ / 20
Reflection in Response to Observations
5
4
3
2
At least 250
Almost long
Over ½ the
Attempted,
words, easy to
enough,
length met,
but short,
read, interesting,
interesting,
interesting,
interesting,
w/o repetition.
w/o
little or no
and some
repetition.
repetition.
repetition.
Your score from above ___________ x 6 = ____________ / 30
1
Little effort
shown/ very
difficult to
read,
uninteresting.
0
Unscorable/
no product
Part 2: Response to Articles
5
4
3
2
At least 250
Almost long
Over ½ the
Attempted,
words, easy to
enough,
length met,
but short,
read, interesting,
interesting,
interesting,
interesting,
w/o repetition.
w/o
little or no
and some
repetition.
repetition.
repetition.
Your score from above ___________ x 6 = ____________ / 30
1
Little effort
shown/ very
difficult to
read,
uninteresting.
0
Unscorable/
no product
Part 3 Math Section
Each problem is worth 2 points = 1 for correct answer + 1 for showing work correctly (see your worksheet).
10 problems x 2 = 20 points……. ..Your score ___________/ 20
Your total score _________ / 100 = _________%
- (minus) _______ % deduction for turning in late = ________ % (Final Score)