Welcome to AP Environmental Science.

The goal of the AP Environmental Science course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them.

Environmental science is interdisciplinary; it embraces a wide variety of topics from different areas of study. Yet there are several major unifying constructs, or themes, that cut across the many topics included in the study of environmental science. The following themes provide a foundation for the structure of the AP Environmental Science course.(College Board, 2012)


Vocabulary Assignment 1:Here's a Link with a glossary that works:http://www.course-notes.org/Environmental_Science



You should know the definitions of each word and set up groups of similar words. Vocabulary should be written in your composition book, numbered and each term should be highlighted or underlined. Determine the relationships within your groups, and among the groups you have developed. There will be a crossword quiz on August 29, 2012.

1. affluence
2. Aldo Leopold
3. anthropogenic
4. closed system
5. common-pool resource
6. consumption
7. control group
8. controlled experiment
9. data
10. dependent variable
11. developed nations
12. developing nations
13. dynamic equilibrium
14. ecological footprint
15. ecosystem services
16. environmental ethics
17. experimental group
18. first law of thermodynamics
19. gross domestic product (GDP)
20. half-life
21. heat
22. hypothesis
23. independent variable
24. input
25. isolated system
26. model
27. negative feedback loop
28. nonpoint source
29. nonrenewable resource
30. open system
31. output
32. overpopulation
33. per capita
34. pH
35. point source
36. positive feedback loop
37. poverty
38. power
39. renewable resource
40. resource
41. risk analysis
42. scientific assessment
43. scientific method
44. second law of thermodynamics
45. stewardship
46. sustainability
47. system
48. theory
49. tragedy of the commons
50. variable