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AP Environmental Science

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AP Environmental Science joins ecology, earth systems, populations, land and water use, energy, pollution and global change. It is genuinely interdisciplinary — biology, chemistry, geology and economics in one course — and the exam rewards connecting them, not listing them.

Numbers matter here. You will calculate by hand: percentage change, energy from a resource, doubling time, half-life, dose per person. No calculator was traditionally allowed, so practise the arithmetic itself, not only the setup.

Name a real case and quantify it. "Deforestation is bad" earns nothing; a named place, a mechanism and a number earns the marks.

The notes cover all nine units and work the calculations APES actually sets — energy, population, pollution — through in full. Released FRQs are in the library. This exam rewards naming a specific example, so the notes flag the case studies worth committing to memory.

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Past Papers
  • 1

    The Living World: Ecosystems

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    • 1.1 Introduction to Ecosystems
    • 1.2 Terrestrial Biomes
    • 1.3 Aquatic Biomes
    • 1.4 The Carbon Cycle
    • 1.5 The Nitrogen Cycle
    • 1.6 The Phosphorus Cycle
    • 1.7 The Hydrologic (Water) Cycle
    • 1.8 Primary Productivity
    • 1.9 Trophic Levels
    • 1.10 Energy Flow and the 10% Rule
    • 1.11 Food Chains and Food Webs
    • 1.11 Practice
    • 1.11 Answers
    • 1.11 Exam tips
  • 2

    The Living World: Biodiversity

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    • 2.1 Introduction to Biodiversity
    • 2.2 Ecosystem Services
    • 2.3 Island Biogeography
    • 2.4 Ecological Tolerance
    • 2.5 Natural Disruptions to Ecosystems
    • 2.6 Adaptations
    • 2.7 Ecological Succession
    • 2.7 Practice
    • 2.7 Answers
    • 2.7 Exam tips
  • 3

    Populations

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    • 3.1 Generalist and Specialist Species
    • 3.2 K-Selected and r-Selected Species
    • 3.3 Survivorship Curves
    • 3.4 Carrying Capacity
    • 3.5 Population Growth and Resource Availability
    • 3.6 Age Structure Diagrams
    • 3.7 Total Fertility Rate
    • 3.8 Human Population Dynamics
    • 3.9 Demographic Transition
    • 3.9 Practice
    • 3.9 Answers
    • 3.9 Exam tips
  • 4

    Earth Systems and Resources

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    • 4.1 Plate Tectonics
    • 4.2 Soil Formation and Erosion
    • 4.3 Soil Composition and Properties
    • 4.4 Earth's Atmosphere
    • 4.5 Global Wind Patterns
    • 4.6 Watersheds
    • 4.7 Solar Radiation and Earth's Seasons
    • 4.8 Earth's Geography and Climate
    • 4.9 El Nino and La Nina
    • 4.9 Practice
    • 4.9 Answers
    • 4.9 Exam tips
  • 5

    Land and Water Use

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    • 5.1 The Tragedy of the Commons
    • 5.2 Clearcutting
    • 5.3 The Green Revolution
    • 5.4 Impacts of Agricultural Practices
    • 5.5 Irrigation Methods
    • 5.6 Pest Control Methods
    • 5.7 Meat Production Methods
    • 5.8 Impacts of Overfishing
    • 5.9 Impacts of Mining
    • 5.10 Impacts of Urbanization
    • 5.11 Ecological Footprints
    • 5.12 Introduction to Sustainability
    • 5.13 Methods to Reduce Urban Runoff
    • 5.14 Integrated Pest Management
    • 5.15 Sustainable Agriculture
    • 5.16 Aquaculture
    • 5.17 Sustainable Forestry
    • 5.17 Practice
    • 5.17 Answers
    • 5.17 Exam tips
  • 6

    Energy Resources and Consumption

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    • 6.1 Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources
    • 6.2 Global Energy Consumption
    • 6.3 Fuel Types and Uses
    • 6.4 Distribution of Natural Energy Resources
    • 6.5 Fossil Fuels
    • 6.6 Nuclear Power
    • 6.7 Energy from Biomass
    • 6.8 Solar Energy
    • 6.9 Hydroelectric Power
    • 6.10 Geothermal Energy
    • 6.11 Hydrogen Fuel Cell
    • 6.12 Wind Energy
    • 6.13 Energy Conservation
    • 6.13 Practice
    • 6.13 Answers
    • 6.13 Exam tips
  • 7

    Atmospheric Pollution

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    • 7.1 Introduction to Air Pollution
    • 7.2 Photochemical Smog
    • 7.3 Thermal Inversion
    • 7.4 Atmospheric CO2 and Particulates
    • 7.5 Indoor Air Pollutants
    • 7.6 Reduction of Air Pollutants
    • 7.7 Acid Rain
    • 7.8 Noise Pollution
    • 7.8 Practice
    • 7.8 Answers
    • 7.8 Exam tips
  • 8

    Aquatic and Terrestrial Pollution

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    • 8.1 Sources of Pollution
    • 8.2 Human Impacts on Ecosystems
    • 8.3 Endocrine Disruptors
    • 8.4 Human Impacts on Wetlands and Mangroves
    • 8.5 Eutrophication
    • 8.6 Thermal Pollution
    • 8.7 Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
    • 8.8 Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification
    • 8.9 Solid Waste Disposal
    • 8.10 Waste Reduction Methods
    • 8.11 Sewage Treatment
    • 8.12 Lethal Dose 50% (LD50)
    • 8.13 Dose Response Curve
    • 8.14 Pollution and Human Health
    • 8.15 Pathogens and Infectious Diseases
    • 8.15 Practice
    • 8.15 Answers
    • 8.15 Exam tips
  • 9

    Global Change

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    • 9.1 Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
    • 9.2 Reducing Ozone Depletion
    • 9.3 The Greenhouse Effect
    • 9.4 Increases in the Greenhouse Gases
    • 9.5 Global Climate Change
    • 9.6 Ocean Warming
    • 9.7 Ocean Acidification
    • 9.8 Invasive Species
    • 9.9 Endangered Species
    • 9.10 Human Impacts on Biodiversity
    • 9.10 Practice
    • 9.10 Answers
    • 9.10 Exam tips

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