#AP Environmental Science: Major Environmental Disasters - The Night Before Guide

Hey there, future AP Environmental Science superstar! 🌟 Feeling a little overwhelmed? Don't worry, we've got you covered. This guide is designed to help you quickly review the major environmental disasters you need to know for the exam. Let's make sure you're feeling confident and ready to ace it!

#Why These Disasters Matter

• Exam Relevance: The AP exam often includes multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and free-response questions (FRQs) that directly or indirectly test your understanding of environmental disasters.
• No Official List: The College Board doesn't provide a specific list, but these disasters are referenced in key concepts.
• FRQ Prep: Understanding these disasters and their solutions will be a huge help for the "Propose an Environmental Solution" FRQ. This is a high-value topic since it combines multiple units into one.

#Major Environmental Disasters You Need to Know

Here's the list we've compiled for you. Focus on these 10 disasters:

1. Chernobyl, Ukraine (Unit 6)
2. Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania (Unit 6)
3. Fukushima, Japan (Unit 6)
4. Kuwaiti Oil Fire, Kuwait (Unit 6)
5. Exxon Valdez, Alaska (Unit 6)
6. Great Smog, London (Unit 7)
7. Bhopal, India (Unit 8)
8. Love Canal, New York (Unit 8)
9. Minamata Bay, Japan (Unit 8)
10. Great Barrier Reef Bleaching, Australia (Unit 9)

#Unit 6 - Energy Resources - Disasters

#Chernobyl, Ukraine

#What Happened?

• Date: 1986
• Location: Chernobyl, Ukraine (formerly USSR)
• Cause: A safety check led to a power surge, causing a reactor rupture and explosion. The roof blew off, releasing a radioactive cloud. ☢️
• Impact: High rates of cancer and birth defects in the surrounding area. High radiation levels persist, making the area uninhabitable.
• Radiation Spread: The radioactive cloud drifted westward across Eastern and Western Europe.
• Reactor Sealing: Reactor Number 4 was sealed with a concrete wall to prevent further radiation spread.

#How Could We Have Fixed It?

• Solution: Implement strict safety regulations and frequent government inspections for nuclear power plants.

#Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania

#What Happened?

• Date: March 28, 1979
• Location: Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, USA
• Cause: A partial nuclear meltdown due to a feed pump failure and a non-nuclear cooling system failure. This caused the reactor core to partially melt.
• Impact: Public distrust in government regulation of nuclear reactors in the USA. This led to a decrease in the use of nuclear energy in the US.

#How Could We Have Fixed It?

• Solution: Implement strict safety regulations and frequent government inspections for nuclear power plants.

#Fukushima Daiichi Reactor, Japan

#What Happened?

• Date: March 11, 2011
• Location: Fukushima, Japan
• Cause: A 9.0 magnitude earthquake caused a 15-meter tsunami, damaging the cooling systems and power supply of three reactors. This led to a release of radioactive materials.
• Impact: 11,580 square miles were contaminated with radioactive materials. Exclusion zones were created, leading to the abandonment of cities.

#Exxon Valdez, Alaska

Source: Wikipedia Commons

#What Happened?

• Date: March 24, 1989
• Location: Prince William Sound, Alaska
• Cause: The oil tanker Exxon Valdez collided with Blight Reef, spilling 10.8 million gallons of oil.
• Impact: The largest US oil spill in history, causing widespread damage to the coastline and a significant reduction in biodiversity. Hundreds of thousands of animals died.

#How Could We Have Fixed It?

• Solution: Require oil tankers to have double-layered walls to provide extra protection against oil spills.

#Unit 7 - Air Pollution - Disasters

#Great Smog, London

#What Happened?

• Date: December 1952
• Location: London, England
• Cause: A combination of unusually cold weather, increased coal combustion, and a thermal inversion led to a thick smog of black soot, tar particles, and sulfur dioxide (SOx).
• Impact: Many deaths due to respiratory illness.
• Important Note: This was gray (industrial) smog, not brown (photochemical) smog.

Photochemical smog is caused by NOx, not SOx.

#How Could We Have Fixed It?

• Solution: Introduce revisions to the Clean Air Act and require scrubbers to filter pollutants from industrial factories.

#Unit 8 - Aquatic/Terrestrial Pollution, Waste, and Toxicity - Disasters

#Bhopal, India

#What Happened?

• Date: 1984
• Location: Bhopal, India
• Cause: A poisonous gas cloud containing 45 tons of methyl isocyanate (MIC) escaped from a chemical plant due to an exothermic reaction.
• Impact: Thousands of deaths within hours and about 15,000 more deaths from complications. 500,000 total injuries and many children born with defects. The Union Carbide Company paid over $1 billion in compensation.

#How Could We Have Fixed It?

• Solution: Implement government regulations for the storage of hazardous chemicals and require buildings to withstand natural disasters.

#Love Canal, New York

#What Happened?

• Date: 1950s-1970s
• Location: Niagara Falls, New York
• Cause: The Hooker Chemical Company buried 21,000 tons of toxic industrial waste underground. A school and housing developments were built on top of the site.
• Impact: Families were forced to evacuate due to birth defects and endocrine disruption caused by chemical contamination of drinking water.

#How Did We Fix It?

• Solution: The CERCLA Superfund Program was developed to help pay for the cleanup of abandoned toxic waste sites.

#Minamata Bay, Japan

#What Happened?

• Date: 1956
• Location: Minamata Bay, Japan
• Cause: Industrial waste from the Chisso Corporation contaminated the bay with mercury and other heavy metals. The mercury bio-magnified in the fish, which were then consumed by people.
• Impact: Many people developed Minamata Disease, with symptoms including fatigue, convulsions, loss of motor functions, and slurred speech.

#How Could We Have Fixed It?

• Solution: Require open ocean fisheries to check fish for mercury levels before selling them at markets.

#Unit 9 - Global Change - Disasters

#Great Barrier Coral Reef Bleaching, Australia, Pacific Ocean

#What Happened?

• Location: Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Pacific Ocean
• Cause: Ocean acidification and increased water temperatures cause coral reefs to become stressed. The algae that corals depend on for food and color die out, leaving behind a white, “bleached” skeleton.
• Impact: 10% of the world’s coral reefs are becoming bleached, leading to a loss of biodiversity. Coral reefs are important habitats for many fish species.

#How Could We Have Fixed It?

• Solution: Reduce the burning of coal and increase the use of renewable energy sources to decrease ocean acidification. This connects fossil fuels, climate change, and ocean health.

#Final Exam Focus

#Highest Priority Topics

• Nuclear Disasters (Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, Fukushima): Understand the causes, impacts, and prevention strategies.
• Oil Spills (Exxon Valdez): Know the environmental consequences and prevention methods.
• Air Pollution (Great Smog): Differentiate between industrial and photochemical smog.
• Toxic Waste (Bhopal, Love Canal, Minamata Bay): Focus on the sources, impacts, and solutions.
• Climate Change (Great Barrier Reef Bleaching): Understand ocean acidification and its effects on ecosystems.

#Common Question Types

• Multiple Choice: Expect questions that test your knowledge of the causes, impacts, and solutions to these disasters.
• Free Response: Be prepared to analyze the environmental and human health consequences of a disaster and propose solutions.

#Last-Minute Tips

• Time Management: Quickly scan questions and focus on the most important keywords.
• Common Pitfalls: Avoid confusing different types of smog and be precise in your descriptions of disaster causes and effects.
• Strategies: Think about the connections between different units and use your knowledge of environmental science principles to develop solutions.

#Practice Questions

Practice Question

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following is the primary cause of the Great Smog in London in 1952? (A) Photochemical reactions (B) Volcanic eruptions (C) Increased coal combustion and thermal inversion (D) Nuclear meltdown

2. The Exxon Valdez oil spill primarily impacted which ecosystem? (A) Tropical rainforest (B) Coral reef (C) Coastal marine (D) Desert

3. What is the main environmental consequence associated with the Minamata Bay disaster? (A) Radioactive contamination (B) Mercury poisoning (C) Acid rain (D) Ozone depletion

Free Response Question

A major chemical plant in a densely populated area experiences an accidental release of a toxic gas. Describe the immediate environmental and human health impacts of such an event. Propose a comprehensive plan to mitigate the effects of such an event in the short term and prevent similar events in the future. (10 points)

Scoring Breakdown:

• (2 points) Immediate Environmental Impacts: (e.g., air pollution, soil contamination, water contamination)
• (2 points) Immediate Human Health Impacts: (e.g., respiratory problems, skin irritation, neurological effects)
• (3 points) Short-Term Mitigation Plan: (e.g., evacuation procedures, emergency medical response, containment of the spill)
• (3 points) Long-Term Prevention Plan: (e.g., stricter safety regulations, improved storage of hazardous chemicals, community education)

Good luck, you've got this! 💪