APES Finals Review - Units 1-4

Final Exam Information

• 60 multiple choice questions
• 3 mini FRQ questions
• Topics include: El Niño/La Niña, calculation of percent change (show work with units), and Food Webs/Energy Transfer.

APES Finals Review - First Semester Units 1-4

• Unit 1: Earth (Modules 0, 19, 20)
  • Human impact on natural systems
  • Four Big Ideas in environmental science
  • Sustainability and ecological footprint calculation
  • Parts of an experiment (independent, dependent, controlled variables; control group).
  • Earth layers and composition
  • Types of plate boundaries and outcomes
  • Soil formation, properties, and horizons
  • Soil texture triangle
• Unit 2: Air (Modules 22, 42-46)
  • Layers of the atmosphere
  • Unequal heating of Earth
  • Convection current cells and locations
  • Tropic circulation patterns
  • Rain shadow effect and Coriolis effect
• Major tropospheric air pollutants
• Point vs. nonpoint source pollution
• Primary vs. secondary pollution
• Photochemical smog formation
• How photochemical smog forms
• Clean Air Act of 1970; regulating emissions and improving air quality
• Indoor air pollution

Unit 4: Ecosystems

• Important vocabulary: (list of words from page 3)

AP Exam Information

• Unit 1 covers most of 1.3-1.11
• Unit 4 covers everything
• Units 5, 7, and 8 also important for the exam.

Introduction to Environmental Science (Unit 1)

• The environment and economy are interconnected
• Humans have altered the environment
• How to define and discuss environmental science

Ecological Footprint

• A measure of the area of land and water needed to produce resources consumed by an individual.
• Includes factors like energy, settlements, timber & paper, food & fibers, seafood.
• Considers waste generated.

Earth Systems - Mineral Resources & Geology

• This is a topic area.

Theory of Plate Tectonics

• The Earth's lithosphere is divided into plates in constant motion.
• Plates move 2-15 cm per year.

Fossils on Different Continents

• Fossils of the same species found on different continents separated by large oceans.
• Evidence for continental drift.

Two Types of Crust

• Oceanic Crust: Iron rich, dense, but thin.
• Continental Crust: Silicon dioxide rich, less dense, but much thicker.

Plate Movements

• Driven by convection currents in the mantle.
• Three types of plate boundaries: Divergent, Convergent, Transform.
• Divergent: Plates move apart (seafloor spreading, ridges).
• Convergent: Plates move together (mountain ranges, trenches, volcanic islands).
• Transform: Plates slide past each other (faults, earthquakes).

Three Possible Outcomes of Convergent Plate Boundaries

• Continental-Continental: Formation of mid-continental mountain ranges (Himalayas).
• Oceanic-Oceanic: One plate pulled under another, forming deep sea trenches and volcanic islands (Mariana Islands).
• Continental-Oceanic: Oceanic plate pulled under continental plate, increasing volcanic activity (Andes Mountains, Sierra Nevada).

Plate Transform Boundaries

• Plates slide horizontally past each other.
• Friction causes earthquakes.

Hotspots

• Areas where molten material from the mantle reaches the lithosphere.
• Volcanoes often form at hotspots.
• Most volcanic activity is at hotspots (5%).
• Movement of plates relates to the formation of new volcanoes and extinction of old volcanoes.

Soil Physical Properties

• Porosity: volume of pores and space between particles
• Permeability: rate at which water and air move through soil.
• Soil texture triangle: visual representation classifying soil types using percentage of sand, silt, and clay

Soil Horizons (Layers)

• O Horizon: Organic layer (leaves, twigs, etc.)
• A Horizon: Topsoil (high fertility, mix of minerals and organic matter).
• B Horizon: Subsoil (primarily mineral material with less organic matter).
• C Horizon: Least weathered, similar to parent material.
• R Horizon: Bedrock (parent material).

Soil Degradation

• Soil Erosion: Topsoil removal by water or wind
• Soil Compaction: reduced ability of soil to retain water
• Factors of soil degradation: human activity, construction, deforestation, overgrazing, intensive agricultural practices. Topsoil replacement takes centuries.

Unit 2: The Atmosphere & Air Pollution

• Essential Questions:
  • Convection cells regulate global and local climates.
  • Biome location and characteristics.
  • Human Impact on climate and air quality.
  • Identifying specific elements in the atmosphere; their roles and sources & how to reduce their negative outcomes

Layers of the atmosphere

• Understand the temperature and composition differences from layers of the atmosphere (exosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, troposphere).

Solar Energy Striking Earth

• Three main causes of uneven solar heating: angle of sun's rays, surface area, and reflectivity.

Earth's Tilt

• Earth's axis tilt of 23.5 degrees causes seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation.

The Coriolis Effect

• Deflection of air due to Earth's rotation.
• Affects wind direction in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
• A result of Earth rotating much faster at the Equator than at the Poles

Factors Affecting Air Movement

• Air density
• Water vapor capacity
• Adiabatic heating/cooling
• Latent heat release
• Coriolis effect
• The amount of moisture in the air, the movement of air masses, and other meteorological conditions

Global Convection Currents

• Three types of cells: Polar cells, Ferrel cell, and Hadley cell

Major Air Pollutants and Their Sources

• Primary pollutants
• Secondary pollutants
• Sources of pollutants
• Control measures (US Clear Air Act).

Indoor Pollution

• Problems in developing countries: using wood, manure, or coal; issues without ventilation exhaust systems.
• Problems in developed countries (tightly sealed buildings, etc.): VOCs, pesticides, combustion by-products, etc.