A-level Environmental Science 2021 Summer work & course information booklet
Name: ______
This booklet has been prepared for you to have the best possible start in A-level Environmental Science. It is very important that you read this booklet carefully over the summer, complete the set work and submit it to Mr Friend in your first lesson at the start of the year. This will be the first impression you create and is a real indicator of how seriously you are prepared to be in your studies.
AQA Environmental Science specification at a glance Paper 1: The Physical Environment: Climate Change, Water, Resources, Human Actions Energy Resources: Different Energy Resources, Energy Conservation Pollution: Pollutants, Sources and Impacts Research Methods: Sampling Techniques, Fieldwork, Laboratory Work
Paper 2: The Living Environment: Life on Earth, Biodiversity, Habitat Destruction & Conservation Biological Resources: Agriculture, Oceans and Forests Sustainability: Feedback Systems, Climate Change, Cycles, Circular Economy Research Methods: Sampling Techniques, Fieldwork, Laboratory Work Equipment needed for each lesson • An A4 ring binder or folder • File dividers to organise your notes • Lined paper • Pens, pencils, 30cm ruler, rubber • A scientific calculator • Data booklet (provided) Recommended resources • There is no requirement to purchase a textbook or revision book, though some students find them a useful resource to have at home or with them in lessons. Approved course textbooks: https://www.aqa.org.uk/resources/science/as-and-a-level/environmental-science/teach/textbooks
Environmental Science summer work 2021 • In order to prepare you for the course, a great starting point is the BBC ‘A Perfect Planet’ series, narrated by David Attenborough… • Task 1: watch episode 1 of ‘A Perfect Planet’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08xc2v8/a-perfect-planet-series-1-1-volcano Complete the questions on episode 1 of ‘A Perfect Planet’ (see below) • Task 2: watch episode 2 of ‘A Perfect Planet’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08xc2x7/a-perfect-planet-series-1-2-the-sun Complete the questions on episode 2 of ‘A Perfect Planet’ (see below) • Task 3: watch episode 3 of ‘A Perfect Planet’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08xc2xh/a-perfect-planet-series-1-3-weather Complete the questions on episode 3 of ‘A Perfect Planet’ (see below) • Task 4: watch episode 4 of ‘A Perfect Planet’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08xc326/a-perfect-planet-series-1-4-oceans Complete the questions on episode 4 of ‘A Perfect Planet’ (see below) • Task 5: watch episode 5 of ‘A Perfect Planet’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08xc32c/a-perfect-planet-series-1-5-humans Complete the questions on episode 5 of ‘A Perfect Planet’ (see below)
A Perfect Planet Episode 1 Questions
1. What is the focus of this first episode?
2. What natural forces allow life to flourish on Earth?
3. How many active volcanos are there in the world today?
4. The most active volcano is named what? And where can it be found?
5. What is the liquid rock from a volcano called when it is below the Earth’s surface?
6. What is the liquid rock from a volcano called when it is above the Earth’s surface?
7. The active volcano in Tanzania is named what?
8. How many times has it erupted in the last 100 years?
9. What is unique about Lake Natron?
10. What type of bird nests in Lake Natron?
11. What substance turns the Flamingo’s feathers pink (it also colours their eyes)?
12. 80% of the Earth’s surface is the result of what?
13. Which is the youngest island in the Galapagos Archipelago?
14. How does the volcano help with the Iguanas eggs?
15. Volcanic islands make up 5% of the planets land but are home to what percentage of its species?
16. How have the Finches on Wolf island adapted to survive without traditional food available?
17. Describe the features of an atoll?
18. How might climate change impact Giant Tortoises at Aldabra?
19. The volcano in the middle of North America is called what?
20. What benefit does living near a Geyser bring River Otters at Yellowstone?
21. The Kamchatka Peninsula lies along a fault line, and has the most geysers in the world, which animal takes advantage of the consequences of the heat the geysers provide?
22. What is the name of the lake where the Bears fish for Salmon?
23. A single ash cloud from a volcano can carry what?
24. Which gas was first brought up by volcanos from deep within the Earth’s crust?
25. Human beings release how much more Carbon Dioxide than all the volcanos on earth combined?
A Perfect Planet Episode 2 Questions
1. This episode is focused on what?
2. How far away is the Sun from the Earth?
3. How long does it take for the suns rays to reach the earth?
4. Where in the world are you guaranteed 12 hours of daily sunlight all year round?
5. Which tree do the Gibbons rely on more than any other?
6. Why do they rely on this tree?
7. The female fig wasps live for just how long?
8. Why does the amount of sunlight across the earth fluctuate throughout the year?
9. Which is the closest land to the North Pole?
10. Muskox spend the summer doing what, which enables them to survive the harsh winter?
11. In this episode the Wolves unsuccessfully hunt the Muskox, which is the only other food source for the Wolves during the winter months?
12. Which animal has the almost supernatural ability to freeze itself during the winter months?
13. What is the scientific term for the ability to freeze itself and ‘come back to life’?
14. How is the sun vital for the Garter Snake?
15. What is the name of the Lake mentioned in Canada?
16. Is it north or south of the arctic circle?
17. Name the 2 animals which are present near the Karak Lake in the summer?
18. The Sahara desert in Africa has temperatures that can reach upwards of?
19. Which animal is described as the Earth’s Greatest Solar Specialist?
20. How long do they have to find food before the heat becomes fatal?
21. What adaptations have the Ant’s developed to survive in the Sahara?
22. Due to climate change the Sahara Desert has grown by how much in the last 100 years?
23. How can solar energy be a solution to the Human race’s saviour?
24. Snares Island, New Zealand is home to Sooty Shearwaters, what do they do to avoid the consequences of the earths tilt?
25. The Shearwaters are not the only ones to migrate north to the Aleutian Islands, name another animal that make the journey from their breeding grounds in the tropics?
A Perfect Planet Episode 3 Questions
1. This episode is focused on what?
2. Our planet could not function without what?
3. The first country looked at in this episode is?
4. What do the October rains provide for the millions of fruit bats that descend on the Zambian forest?
5. How many millions of tonnes of water evaporate from our oceans every second?
6. How much rain per year does the Amazon receive?
7. What extraordinary solution have the Fire ant colony developed to deal with the Amazon floods?
8. How much has the average temperature of the planet varied in the last 10,000 years?
9. How has this affected the climate?
10. The sand bars revealed in the Amazon river provide which animal the opportunity to lay their eggs?
11. How many eggs does the female lay?
12. The floods which cause some of the turtles to drown used to happen every 20 years now they happen how often?
13. Why is this?
14. How much of the land receives less than 25cm of rain per year?
15. The Rain Frog in South Africa can travel how far during the night?
16. Coastal deserts get a reliable source of moisture from where?
17. Mongolia’s Gobi desert in winter can reach temperatures of how low?
18. What is blown into the Gobi desert from Siberia?
19. Where does the largest most unpredictable weather, such as hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones, originate?
20. Christmas island is found in which of the world’s 5 oceans?
21. The Red Crabs of Christmas Island rely on which seasonal event before they can emerge?
22. How many Red Crabs emerge for their march toward the ocean?
23. The Zambezi River flows across how many countries?
24. At peak season how many tonnes of water drop over Victoria Falls every second?
25. What is happening to Victoria falls as our climate is changing?
26. With the water levels dropping and drying up, which large African mammal is forced to leave their home to find more water?
27. Record high temperatures and the lowest rainfall in nearly 40 years has caused what to happen in Africa?
28. Across the planet our once stable climate is changing, what are the effects of this?
29. Why is this happening?
30. If something is not done to prevent climate change, how much could our global temperature rise by?
A Perfect Planet Episode 4 Questions
1. Which topic is this episode focused on?
2. All life in the oceans depend on what?
3. How long does a drop of seawater take to complete a circuit of the ocean?
4. What are the Dolphins off the coast of South Africa hunting?
5. Finding food in the open ocean would be impossible without what?
6. Which microscopic plants feed on the organic debris swept up by the ocean currents from the sea floor?
7. How much of the world’s oxygen do the phytoplankton produce?
8. Which greenhouse gas do the phytoplankton absorb which helps regulate the climate?
9. Which two species are found on the barren island of Fernandina in the Galapagos?
10. The Galapagos Iguana is the only Iguana in the world to find their food where?
11. Why is it dangerous for the Iguanas to stay in the water for too long?
12. Where do a third of all marine fish live?
13. What is unique about the Cuttlefish?
14. How long does it take for the moon to orbit the Earth?
15. The moons gravitational pull does what to the oceans?
16. Where do the tides have the greatest impact?
17. Where is the strongest tidal pull on the planet?
18. What is the name of the species of duck ocean tidal specialists?
19. In the Bahamas the wide shallow sandbanks have what effect on the tides?
20. What are one of the most threatened coastal habitats?
21. Which animal uses the flooded mangrove forest to give birth?
22. Which other ocean force affects the rhythms of the oceans?
23. The Trevally and the Black reef tip sharks work together to hunt the Hardyheads, can describe how they do this?
24. The Rockhopper penguins on the Falkland Islands rely on what, to get back on to the island?
25. As our climate warms how many tonnes of Arctic Ice freshwater are emptying into the sea every second?
26. What is the biggest risk to the oceans if they continue to warm?
27. Where is this already beginning to happen?
28. How have the Eden whales adapted to living in the polluted waters around Thailand?
A Perfect Planet Episode 5 Questions
1. What is the focus of this first episode?
2. Over what time frame is it possible that we will lose half the species on Earth?
3. When was the last time such a large extinction event took place?
4. How much water does an adult elephant drink per day?
5. What happens to elephants when there is a drought?
6. What does Angela Sheldrick and her team do?
7. How often are the orphan elephants bottle-fed?
8. How many orphaned elephants have been released back into the wild?
9. What needs to happen to the water supplies in the managed reserves where the elephants are released?
10. How many mass extinctions have occurred on Earth in the past?
11. What caused most of these previous mass extinctions?
12. How does the rate that human activity is releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere now, compare to that of these mega volcanoes in the past?
13. How are we releasing so much carbon dioxide?
14. What affect is this release of carbon dioxide having on the average temperature of the Earth?
15. What happens to the amount of H2O in the atmosphere for every 1 oC increase in temperature?
16. Which extreme events occur more frequently and with more severity?
17. Whose heart broke at the sight of the koalas in the fires?
18. How many people are pushed into near unliveable extremes for every 1 oC increase in temperature?
19. What is a climate refugee?
20. What is the great green wall?
21. What advantages does this trees planting bring?
22. What affect has this had on humans so far?
23. Why is the Amazon rainforest under threat?
24. What size area of the Amazon rainforest is destroyed by humas every minute?
25. Why are animals so important to forests?
26. What is done to seeds before planting them on deforested land in the Amazon?
27. How much of the oxygen we breathe is generated in the oceans?
28. Which organisms on Earth are responsible for the most oxygen?
29. What proportion of human activity carbon dioxide emissions have been absorbed by the oceans?
30. What happens to water when it absorbs more carbon dioxide?
31. What affect does acidification of oceans have on shells, corals and phytoplankton?
32. What percentage of large predatory fish has been lost due to overfishing?
33. What is happening off the coast of Gabon?
34. What is happening to reduce overfishing?
35. Arresting one illegal fishing boats saved how many sharks?
36. Where does the cold nutrient rich water that is transported around the world come from?
37. Where is a world’s largest concentrated solar power plant?
38. What is the advantage of heating salt using solar?
39. What was agreed in Paris 2015?
40. What is happening at the European Network of Biobanks and similar places?
Any issues or questions then please email Mr Friend at [email protected]