AP Environmental Science - Complete Geography & Earth Systems Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering basic geographic identification, global energy distribution, historical environmental disasters, legislation sites, and ecological case studies.

North America

Continent located in the Northern & Western Hemispheres.

South America

Continent located in the Southern Hemisphere south of Panama.

Africa

Continent bisected by the Equator, bounded by the Atlantic & Indian Oceans.

Europe

Continent located west of Asia and north of the Mediterranean Sea.

Asia

Largest continent, located in the Eastern and Northern Hemispheres.

Australia

Island continent located in the Southern Hemisphere.

Antarctica

Southernmost continent surrounding the South Pole and primary global location of stratospheric ozone thinning (the 'Ozone Hole').

Pacific Ocean

Largest ocean, located between the Americas and Asia/Australia.

Atlantic Ocean

Ocean separating the Americas from Europe & Africa.

Indian Ocean

Ocean bounded by Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Arctic Ocean

Smallest and shallowest ocean surrounding the North Pole.

Mediterranean Sea

Sea connecting to the Atlantic Ocean, bounded by Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Great Lakes (US)

Chain of 5 major freshwater lakes in eastern North America and U.S. freshwater system where invasive Zebra Mussels were first introduced.

Equator

The $0^\circ$ latitude line dividing the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

North Pole

The $90^\circ$ North latitude coordinate point.

South Pole

The $90^\circ$ South latitude coordinate point.

Los Angeles

Major coastal metropolis in Southern California, USA.

Middle East / N. Africa

Region containing the most desalination plants worldwide and having the lowest natural freshwater availability per capita.

Brazil

Country with the highest rate of tropical deforestation and host country of the 2016 Olympics during an outbreak of mosquito-borne Zika virus.

Venezuela

Country holding the world's largest proven oil reserves.

United States

Country that consumes the largest total amount of oil globally, leads in natural gas production and consumption, and leads in installed geothermal power capacity.

United States, Saudi Arabia

Top 2 countries in total global oil production.

China

Country that consumes and produces the largest amount of coal and generates the most total hydroelectric power in Megawatts (MW).

Denmark

Country with the highest percentage share of domestic grid power from Wind energy.

Norway

Country with the highest percentage share of domestic electricity from Hydroelectric power ($\sim 98\%$).

China, Germany

Two countries leading the global market in Solar and Wind technology.

SE Asia

Region with the world's highest overall population density.

Oceania (Australia / NZ)

Region with the highest per capita freshwater availability due to low population density.

Chernobyl

Site of the largest nuclear disaster in history (1986).

Dust Bowl

Site of agricultural soil degradation due to severe drought and winds in the 1930s.

Bhopal

Site of toxic MIC gas leak from pesticide plant (Union Carbide) killing thousands.

Fukushima

Site of 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant meltdown.

BP Deepwater Horizon

Site of largest offshore marine oil spill in history (2010 Gulf of Mexico spill).

Montreal

Site of international treaty protocol that successfully phased out CFCs.

Kyoto

Site of early international treaty targeted at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Cuyahoga

River that repeatedly caught fire, prompting the Clean Water Act of 1972.

Fresh Kills

Massive capped NYC landfill now restored into a public park.

Love Canal

NY neighborhood evacuated due to toxic chemical dump under suburban housing.

Yucca Mountain

Proposed long-term deep geologic repository for US high-level nuclear waste.

ANWR

Controversial Arctic coastal plain proposed for petroleum drilling in Alaska.

Three Gorges

World's largest hydroelectric dam structure (located on Yangtze River).

Grand Banks / Newfoundland

Site of the world's most severe historic fishery collapse (Atlantic Cod).

Arctic / N. Pole

Region currently experiencing fastest rate of annual warming due to climate change, containing vast quantities of trapped marine methane hydrates, and destination for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) via atmospheric global distillation.

Animas River

Colorado river contaminated by heavy metals during Superfund mine blowout.

Flint, MI

City that experienced severe municipal lead contamination due to improper water treatment.

Aliso Canyon

Site in California of the largest underground natural gas (methane) leak in US history.

Japan

East Asian island nation with extremely high urban population density.

Mexico

Country where transgenic corn contaminated native landraces from US imports.

Gulf of Mexico

Site of major seasonal hypoxic 'Dead Zone' driven by Mississippi River runoff.

London

Site of 1952 killer thermal inversion smog event that caused thousands of deaths.

Maldives

Low-lying island nation at risk of complete inundation from sea level rise.

Prairie (Midwest of US)

U.S. biome/region experiencing highest incidence of severe tornadoes ('Tornado Alley').

California

U.S. state containing the major strike-slip San Andreas Fault boundary.

Prince William Sound, Alaska

Site of the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker oil spill.

Minamata Bay

Japanese bay where thousands suffered organic methylmercury poisoning.

Yellowstone

World's first established National Park (1872).

East Coast of the US

U.S. region heavily impacted by Hurricane Sandy infrastructure damage in 2012.

Three Mile Island

Site of the worst commercial nuclear plant accident in US history (1979).

Paris

Host city of the landmark 2015 UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) agreement.

Great Barrier Reef

World's largest coral reef ecosystem, currently experiencing severe bleaching.

New Zealand

Island nation subject to high UV radiation due to proximity to Antarctic ozone hole.