AP Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary course designed to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world. Students identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and examine alternative solution for resolving and/or preventing them. There is an emphasis on field and laboratory work. Students have the option of earning UConn college credit after paying a registration fee.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• What are the Earth’s systems?
• What is the atmosphere?
• How do we interact with the Earth’s systems and atmosphere?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

The student will . . .

• describe basic Earth Science concepts such as/including plate tectonics,
• earth’s place in the solar system, and changes in Earth over time.
• describe composition and structure of the atmosphere.
• describe the rock cycle and formation and loss of soil.
• explain weather and climate in relation to the atmosphere and atmospheric circulation.
• examine differences in soils.
• explain availability and characteristics of Earth’s water resources.
• explain how the solar intensity combined with atmospheric properties influences climate.
• judge state of the art scientific technology in predicting weather and climate.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How are the interactions at the species, population, community, and ecosystem and biome level studied?
• How do nutrients and energy cycle or flow through ecosystems?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

The student will . . .

• describe the principles of conservation of matter and energy.
• discuss food chains, food webs, and trophic levels in biological communities and explain why there are pyramids of energy, biomass and numbers of individuals in the trophic levels of an ecosystem.
• explain how photosynthesis captures energy for life and how cellular respiration releases that energy to do useful work.
• recognize characteristics of major aquatic and terrestrial biomes and understand the most important factors that determine the distribution of each type.
• compare the ways that water, carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus cycle within ecosystems.
• describe how environmental factors determine which species live in a given ecosystem and where or how they live.
• explain how genetic variation and natural selection lead to evolution, adaptation, biodiversity and niche specialization.
• describe how ecological succession results in ecosystem development and allows one species to replace another.
• recognize the unique properties of water and explain why the hydrologic cycle is important to humans.
• assess the overall patterns of human disturbance of world biomes, and how humans disrupt or damage different ecosystems.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• What factors affect population sizes and growth?
• What are the cultural and economic influences on human population growth?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

The student will . . .

• draw a diagram of J and S curves and explain what they mean.
• describe environmental resistance and discuss how it can lead how it can lead to logistic or stable growth.
• trace the history of human population growth.
• identify human population distribution per continent and recognize the percent annual growth rate in these areas.
• explain the factors that affect birth, fertility, and death rates.
• summarize Malthusian and Marxian theories of limits to growth.
• compare and contrast density-dependent and density-independent population processes.
• explain the theory of island biogeography and what is says about populations of rare and endangered species in fragmented habitats.
• interpret and explain age structure graphs, and explain the process of demographic transition.
• apply the concept of genetic drift, founder effects, and demographic bottlenecks to minimum viable population sizes.
• explain hunger, disease, economic effects, resource use and habitat destruction affect population changes.
• calculate the simple growth rate of a population.
• evaluate pressures for and against family planning in traditional and modern societies.
• explain how changes in life expectancy, infant mortality, women’s literacy, standards of living and democracy affect population changes.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How is land and water used by humans?
• How can degradation of land and water resources be minimized and what are the strategies to make these resources sustainable?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

The student will . . .

• describe world food supplies and some causes of chronic hunger and acute food shortages in the midst of growing food surpluses.
• sketch the role of living organisms, physical forces, and other factors in creating and maintaining fertile soil.
• outline the extent, location and state of grazing lands around the world.
• summarize some forest types and the products we derive from them.
• understand basic geological principles, including how tectonic plate movements affect conditions for life on earth.
• identify different techniques use to fish the planet’s waters.
• discuss the major word land uses and human activities impact these areas.
• describe how overgrazing causes desertification of rangelands.
• explain the principles and practices of landscape ecology and ecosystem management.
• understand the origins and issues of national parks in America and in other countries.
• explain how the three major rock types are formed and how the rock cycle works.
• discuss internal and external costs, market approaches to pollution control and cost-benefit analysis.
• differentiate between the sources and effects of land degradation including erosion, nutrient depletion, water logging and salinization.
• summarize economic mineralogy and strategic minerals.
• discuss the environmental effects of mining and mineral processing.
• distinguish between different types and categories of resources.
• understand the consequences of over-fishing and methods of managing fisheries in a sustainable manner.
• understand how resource supply and demand affect price and technological process.
• compare the pros and cons of urbanization and suburban sprawl.
• analyze the promises and perils of genetic engineering.
• recognize the potential for low-input, sustainable, regenerative agriculture and aquaculture.
• analyze the role of business and some possible strategies for achieving future sustainability.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• What are the sources of energy?
• How is energy consumed?
• How can the adverse environmental effects of energy consumption are minimized?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

The student will . . .

• describe energy concepts including: energy forms, power, units, conversions, and laws of thermodynamics.
• describe past, present and future energy consumption patterns.
• describe energy sources including: fossil fuels, nuclear, hydroelectric, and other renewable sources.
• explain how energy is harnessed from different sources.
• examine the environmental impacts of using different energy sources.
• compare the desirability of energy conservation with increased energy production.
• connect personal behavior with energy consumption.
• evaluate the merits of different sources of energy.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• What is pollution?
• How does pollution affect the environment and human health?
• What are the costs of pollution?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

The student will . . .

• describe types of pollution including: air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, and solid waste.
• describe how pollution affects the environment.
• describe how pollution affects human health.
• explain how pollution is produced.
• examine how pollution can be controlled.
• examine the economic costs of pollution.
• investigate how pollution is related personal behavior.
• examine the connections between different types of pollution.
• analyze pollution problems evaluate possible solutions.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• What is stratospheric ozone?
• What is global warming?
• Why is biodiversity important?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

The student will . . .

• describe the ozone layer.
• describe global warming.
• describe biodiversity.
• explain how stratospheric ozone is produced, destroyed, and interacts with solar radiation.
• examine greenhouse effect.
• examine the causes of biodiversity loss.
• examine the connections release of greenhouse gases and global warming.
• compare and contrast the challenges of global warming and ozone depletion.
• evaluate the effectiveness of laws and treaties at stopping the depletion of stratospheric ozone.
• evaluate the threat posed by the continued release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.