AP Exam Time

The time is here! On Tuesday, May the 3rd at 8:00 am, the APES students will be taking the AP Environmental Science Exam. What is exactly on the exam? Please see the format below.

Aquatic Pollution

Water is a key resource for life on Earth. All organisms, including humans, require water to live, but increases in human populations combined with industrialization have led to the contamination of water supplies. APES students have been learning about different types of water pollution; wastewater from humans and livestock, heavy metals and other chemicals in water supplies, oil pollution in water, and non-chemical water pollution. They are also learning about key Water Pollution Laws that help keep our water supplies and waterways clean. This week, APES students tested the drinking water from the middle school and high school water fountains. The results are in the images below.

Ocean Currents

During the past week, APES students have been learning how to describe the patterns of surface ocean circulation. They were assigned to explain how the mixing of surface and deep ocean waters from the thermohaline circulation moves heat and nutrients around the globe along with how to identify the causes and consequences of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Below are pictures of students demonstrating how cold water at the poles and warm water at the equator drive ocean circulation patterns. Notice how the cold water (blue) sinks, and the hot water (red) flows on top.

Atmospheric Pollution and Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

Air is a natural resource that living organisms rely upon to survive. Yet, it contains chemicals, particulate matter, and microorganisms with high enough concentrations to harm plants and animals, alter ecosystems, and damage materials, such as buildings. Air pollution occurs over terrestrial, aquatic, and marine natural systems. Air pollution also occurs in human-made indoor systems. To understand air pollution and its effects, students have examined the wide variety of air pollutants, where they come from, and what happens to them after they are released into the atmosphere.

During the last few weeks, students learned how to identify the major air pollutants found around the globe and discussed the specific air pollution situations that occur with photochemical smog and acid deposition. Students also learned about air pollution control measures and examined how stratospheric ozone depletion occurs. They also learned about indoor air pollution and the effects of Sick Building Syndrome.

Atmospheric Pressure

The air around you has weight, and it presses against everything it touches. That pressure is called atmospheric pressure, or air pressure. Atmospheric pressure is the force exerted on a surface from the air above it as gravity pulls it to Earth. But, why can’t you feel it? The air particles around you exert a certain amount of pressure on your entire body, but what’s interesting is that the same amount of pressure is exerted back onto the air molecules by the insides of the body, thereby achieving a state of equilibrium. However, if you want to experience atmospheric pressure for a few seconds, there is a way, and the APES students did just that.

Who's Got the Power?

The APES students worked hard conducting a lab experiment that explores the relationship between work and power and learning how to differentiate between the two. Not only did they get a workout climbing a lot of stairs in Part I of the lab, but they also used the data from the experiment to complete some very challenging calculations using the following formulas. During Part II of the lab, students used data from Part I to calculate how much work is required to use up the energy in their favorite snacks.