AP Environmental Science

The AP Environmental Science course encourages students to engage with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world. Throughout the course and its lab sessions, students will analyze environmental problems, evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them. 

This interdisciplinary course, embraces topics from geology, biology, environmental studies, environmental science, chemistry, and geography. It is recommended for students who have completed Algebra I and two years of high school laboratory science.

It Includes:

• introduced to the study of Environmental Science and have an overview of earth systems
• ocean interactions, freshwater, salt water, ground water, water use, and water use issues
• the physical structure of the earth, plate tectonics and divergent, convergent, and transform fault boundaries
• biomes, and ecosystem structure
• Food chains, food webs, and ecological niches, as well as species function, symbiotic interactions, ecosystem competition, and ecosystem energy flow.
• Pyramids of energy,  matter cycling, nutrient cycles, the water cycle, the phosphorus cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and human influences on cycles.
• The law of limiting factors, biotic potential and environmental resistance, and carrying capacity. They experience a virtual lab on population
• Developed versus developing countries, doubling time, age-structure diagrams, population calculations, demographic transition, and impacts of population growth
• Types of agriculture, green revolution and genetic engineering, and soil conservation methods.
• Forest harvesting methods, deforestation and its consequences, and fire management in forests.
• Types of fossil fuels, world reserves, coal, natural gas, petroleum/oil issues, and advantages and disadvantages of fossil fuels. 
• advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power, radioactive wastes and disposal, major nuclear accidents, and half-life and calculations.