APES Exam2019, The

year

everyone

gets a 5!

Format of the AP Environmental Science Free-Response Section

90 minutes total

No calculator allowed

Four questions:

Four questions:You will have 90 minutes to complete the entire free-response section, which gives you about 22 minutes per question. However, you don’t need to spend exactly the same amount of time on each question. In fact, you can divide your time between the four essays any way you want.

1 document-based question

• The document-based question will give you a document or an

excerpt from a document and ask you questions based on

information it contains. The document can be a newspaper article,

brochure, or something similar.

1 data set question

• This question will include data you must analyze and interpret. The

data may be in a table, graph, chart, or stated within the question.

Parts of the question will require calculations; parts will not.

2 synthesis and evaluation questions

• These are similar to the document-based question, except they won’t

include outside documents. They sometimes include graphs or

tables, however, you won’t be expected to do calculations for these

types of questions.

Typically the first

question asked and it

will have that “torn piece

of paper” graphic.

Fortunately, compared to

many other AP tests, the

documents on AP Enviro

exams tend to be quite

short and there’s only

one, so you should be

able to read through it quickly.

Document Based Question

This is when you'll

need to do some

calculations. No calculators!

Data Set Question

There are two synthesis and evaluation questions on each AP exam.

Synthesis and Evaluation Question

Synthesis and Evaluation Question

Final Thoughts:• Do not restate the question• Write in prose – ordinary writing• Be time-conscious• Read the verbs• Label your answers• Math -show your work, show units• Answer the question asked!

Scoring Guide:The total points for the question is 10. The free response question will have several sections. Typically, each sub part of the question will be worth two to four points, depending on the complexity and number of parts of the question. It is possible for the points available to total more than ten, but the maximum score for the entire question is ten points.

APES “HOT” TOPICS

Possible FRQ Topics

Consequences o

f C

limate

C

hange

Effect

• Receding polar ice caps

• Melting of permafrost

• Changes atmospheric energy balance – why?

Environmental Consequences

• Sea level rise (although due primarily to thermal expansion)

• Messes up transportation routes

• Releases methane – potent greenhouse gas

• Altered climates in various places around the globe

Keystone Pipeline

• Transports unrefined oil from oil sands in Canada (largest producer) to refineries in SE United States

• Replaces older pipeline

• Allows for higher capacity of oil transport

• Possible water contamination – part goes over the Ogallala Aquifer

• Habitat degradation issues – goes through sensitive ecosystem in Nebraska

• Less incentive to develop sustainable energy

California Forest Fires- 2018

• The 2018 wildfire season was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire season on record in California, with a total of 8,527 fires burning an area of 1,893,913 acres (766,439 ha), the largest amount of burned acreage recorded in a fire season, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection The fires have caused more than $3.5 billion (2018 USD) in damages, including $1.792 billion in fire suppression costs.

GMO’s

• GMO = Genetically Modified Organisms

• Pros of GMOs?• Increased yield and quality of crops – resistant to pests and

harsh environmental conditions

• Produce essential nutrients for humans (ex. Golden Rice)

• Produce pharmaceuticals

• Reduces use of synthetic pesticides and herbicides

• Ecological concerns• Genes could spread to wild plants – alter/eliminate natural

plant varieties (solve with buffer zones?)

• Loss of genetic diversity among food crops

• Effect on food chain – disrupts insect populations

• Human health concerns• Allergic reactions

Arctic Apple

Bee Colony Collapse

Bee Colony Collapse

Mercury in Fish

Mercury in Fish

Human Population

I = P x A x T I = Impact; P = Population; A = Affluence; T = Technology

Rate of change = [b-d] + [i-e]

US population = 330 million

World population = 7.6 billion

Rule of 70 = 70/growth rate = number of years population will double

Total Fertility vs. Replacement Level Fertility

Total Fertility = ave # children per woman

RLF = ave # children per woman needed for zero population growth

Strategies to reduce population growth?

Educate/empower women

Decrease poverty

Access to family planning

Wind Power

• Wind spins turbine

• Generator produces electricity

• Electricity moves through transmission lines

• Fastest growing renewable (though solar is close)

• Risk to birds – collide with blades (significant, but more deaths attributed to collisions with buildings, predation by house cats, etc.)

• Possible math question?

Solar PowerSolar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV), indirectly using concentrated solar power, or a combination. Many industrialized nations have installed significant solar power capacity into their grids to supplement or provide an alternative to conventional energy sources while an increasing number of less developed nations have turned to solar to reduce dependence on expensive imported fuels

Mountain Top Removal: Coal Mining

“Clean” Coal

Dams/Rivers

• Three Gorges Dam – Yangzi River in China• World’s largest hydropower project• Displaced 1.2 million people• Reservoir is polluted from submerged factories, mines, dumps

• Erosion on banks of reservoir causing landslides• Worsens drought downstream• BUT… provides “clean” energy, reliable water source

Growing Production of Biofuels

• Biofuels – most often ethanol from corn or sugarcane

• Uses lots of water, fertilizers, pesticides

• Fertilizers associated with eutrophication and “dead zone” in Gulf of Mexico

• Fertilizer runoff with phosphates and nitrates

• Causes algal blooms – shades water plants below

• Algae eventually dies

• Bacteria decompose dead algae – uses dissolved oxygen

• Fish and other animals die

Plastic BanProblems:• persistence of plastic in

landfill• energy cost and oil

dependence in producing bags

• 2 liters of oil for every one liter bottle

• nonrecyclable plastic bags (bottles are recyclable

• Solution:• reusable alternatives are

pretty simple• ban or charge? (pricing

structure)• how much of a deposit

would change your behavior?

• products can be made from recycled bottles