AP Environmental Science Summer Assignment

Transcription

1 AP Environmental Science Summer Assignment Welcome future APES students. This is a college level science course that will combine previous knowledge from biology, chemistry, geology, geography, math, and physics to investigate local, regional, national, and global environmental issues. We will discover how the Earth s systems function together and how humans have affected our planet. We will also look into our personal consumption habits and learn ways to be responsible global citizens as we face serious environmental issues. Because this is a college level course, you will be responsible for learning a certain amount of material on your own. I am here to help you, but it is your responsibility to take notes, read the textbook as well as online information, and study. The purpose of this assignment is to help you prepare for the APES content by getting organized, reviewing some background information, and getting familiar with some of the basic concepts of environmental science. If you need to reach me for any reason at all, whether you have a question about this assignment or you want to share something really cool you discovered while doing it feel free to me at jritter@lrhsd.org Being the summer, it may be a few days for me to respond. General Guidelines Read the directions for each section carefully! Each section should be clearly labelled Each section must be fully completed, neat and typed (except for the math section) Each section must be handed in together and stapled in order All work is to be completed on your own. You may not work with other students to complete this assignment Section 1: Chemistry 1.For each of the following, write out the chemical name that goes with the symbol: CO 2 CO C 6 H 12 O 6 CH 4 H 2 N 2 NO 2 NO 3 NH 3 NH 4 O 2 O 3 P 3- PO 4 S SO 2 SO 3 H 2 SO 4 NaCl Pb U Rn Hg Cl NO x

2 2. Write at least a paragraph that explains the following: a. What is the ph scale? What does it measure? What are some important numbers on scale? b. How do the numbers on the ph scale compare? Example is a ph of 4 twice as strong as a ph of 2? Hint the ph scale is not linear! c. What are the average ph ratings of the following substances? Blood Normal rain Acid rain Freshwater Ocean water Battery acid Stomach acid Lemon juice Bleach Distilled water Section 2: Math The APES exam contains a significant amount of math and does not allow the use of a calculator. Complete each of the following problems including a detailed set up with labeled units and proper scientific notation. No Calculators!! You must show all work to get full credit. Use scientific notation in the place of large numbers.

3 a. What is 10 million times 4 thousand? b. What is 43 million plus 256,000 times 300? c. You purchase a home that is 3500 square feet of living space. How big is this in square meters? d. You purchase 235 acres of land. How many hectares do you now own? e. A coal burning power plant produces 12 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity each day. Assume that an input of 10,000 BTU s of heat is required to produce and output of one kilowatt-hour of electricity. Calculate the number of BTU s of heat needed to generate the electricity by the power plant each day. f. Using the information in the previous question, calculate the number of pounds of coal consumed by the power plant each day assuming that one pound of coal yields 5,000 BTU s of heat. g. If a city of 10,000 experiences 300 births, 70 deaths, 15 immigrants and emigrants in the course of a year, what is the net annual percentage growth rate? (By what percentage did the population change? h. One year we had 120 APES students and the next year there were 150. What percentage did the population of APES students grow by? i. One year 2500 endangered sea turtles hatched. After one year there were only What percentage of sea turtles died? j. Your car gets 15 miles per gallon and your friends car gets 25 miles per gallon. You decide to go on a road trip to visit another friend who lives 300 miles away. If gas costs $3 a gallon and you decide to split the gas money, how much money will you save by taking your friends car? Section 3: Current Events Each year, the environment is increasingly in the news. It is important we are aware of current topics in the news. One of my goals is to familiarize you with environmental issues that are important to us locally, across the country, and around the world. Over the course of the summer, find 3 recent articles (within the last year) related to environmental science. The sources may be scientific publications, popular magazines, newspapers, etc. Try the NY Times (especially Tuesday), Washington Post, National Geographic, Discover Magazine, Natural History Magazine, Treehugger.com, etc. Whether you use a printed piece or on online piece, you must include a hard copy of the article with your report. Each article should relate to a different topic chosen from the following list. Environmental Law Ecosystems Climate Evolution Water Pollution Population Growth Cites and Waste Renewable Energy Non Renewable Energy Food/Agriculture Air Pollution Human Health Preserving our Biodiversity Forest or Rangeland

4 Article Analysis Directions: Include all of the following components and clearly identify each component with headings. Each analysis should be typed and each article should be on its own paper. Title of Article Brief summary that tells me what the article is about Analysis: a. Points of view does the article have more than one side or POV? If so, what are they? b. Bias is this article biased in any way? In your opinion, does the author give a positive, negative, or neutral view of the environmental science topic? c. Controversy: Is there any controversy surrounding this article? If so, briefly explain it. d. Your perspective: state your perspective on this news article based on your personal knowledge of the topic and your reading of the article. e. Effect on you: How does this topic relate to you or affect you? Attach the article

5 Section 4 Environmental Legislation Create a chart similar to the one below and fill in the missing information. Make sure this is typed so you can add as many details as needed. You can change the formatting to fit your needs (example make it landscape if you want). These will be just a few policies we will discuss throughout the year. This is just a start to get your mind on the environment. Legislation Name Is this a US or world treaty, law or act? NEPA Endangered Species Act Clean Water Act Lacey Act RCRA SMRCA CITES Global Climate Action Summit 2018 Food Quality Protection Act Copenhagen Accord RIO +20 Kyoto Protocol Montreal Protocol Agenda 21 London Dumping Convention CERCLA Date Enacted Description of the legislation (give purpose, important founding organizations or people, any major points that you find.

6 Please place this completed checklist at the front of your assignment before you turn it in. This is due the first day of school in September. Name: Please place a check next to each item as you complete them. Section 1: Score /12 (to be scored by me) I have identified all of the chemical compounds and I am ready for a quiz I have written at least one paragraph about ph and I am ready to explain it to someone else Section 2: Score /12 I have read through the math review material and understand how to solve the problems I have completed all of the math problems and am ready to take a math quiz Section 3: Score /12 I have read and completed three article current events I have attached a paper copy of each article Section 4: Score /12 I have researched and recorded information for all of the legislation listed I have cited all of the sources I used to find my information I have studied the legislation and am ready for a quiz I hope you are looking forward to this new and exciting class. I hope this assignment gets you to start thinking about our environment, where you fit into the puzzle, and ways you can

7 improve the quality of our environment. I am very excited to get started in September! See you then. Mr. Ritter