AP Environmental Science
AP Environmental Science topics appear in 22 Scivra investigations. This collection groups the catalog's existing unit references so students and teachers can connect a topic with an interactive model, a public investigation guide, and questions for comparing predictions with evidence.
Choose a question to investigate
Start with one prediction, change one condition, and keep a measurement with units. These starting points use this collection's existing catalog alignments. The unit groups below retain the full mapped list; they do not establish complete AP coverage or replace required hands-on work.
Water quality and nutrient evidence
Compare water-quality readings with nutrient conditions before explaining an eutrophication pattern.
Water Quality & EutrophicationProduction and oxygen
Use light and dark bottle oxygen readings to distinguish net production from respiration.
Primary ProductivitySampling and biodiversity
Compare sampling records and diversity measures before judging whether a difference supports a claim.
Quadrats & Biodiversity
Plan your AP laboratory work against the current College Board course-audit requirements. Course guides are public; simulation access is shown on each course page.
AP Environmental Science Unit 1
Earth Science
Cloud in a Bottle
Squeeze and release a bottle with smoke inside. Why does a cloud appear, and why is one side of a mountain dry?
Earth Science
Seasons & Sun Angle
Tilt the globe and move it around the lamp. Why is summer hotter, and how should a solar panel face?
Environmental
Quadrats & Biodiversity
Throw quadrats in a meadow and a lawn. Which is more diverse, and how sure are you?
Environmental
Primary Productivity
Light and dark bottles of pond water. How much oxygen do the algae make?
Environmental
Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus & Water Cycles
Follow single atoms of carbon and nitrogen through air, ocean, rock, and life. What happens when we speed up one flux?
AP Environmental Science Unit 2
AP Environmental Science Unit 4
Earth Science
Earthquake Epicenter
Seismometers find where a quake started — and what lies deep inside Earth.
Earth Science
Seafloor Spreading & Plate Boundaries
Tow a magnetometer and drill cores across a mid-ocean ridge. What record do the seafloor rocks keep?
Earth Science
Stream Table: Erosion & Deposition
Change slope and flow in a stream table. Where does the sand go?
Earth Science
Soil, Porosity & Groundwater
Pour water through gravel, sand, and soil. Which holds more, which drains faster, and where does a leak spread?
Earth Science
Cloud in a Bottle
Squeeze and release a bottle with smoke inside. Why does a cloud appear, and why is one side of a mountain dry?
Earth Science
Convection, Coriolis & Currents
Heat one end of a tank, then spin the table. How do winds and currents turn?
Earth Science
Seasons & Sun Angle
Tilt the globe and move it around the lamp. Why is summer hotter, and how should a solar panel face?
Environmental
Watersheds, Runoff & Land Use
Rain on a landscape model. Clear it, plow it, terrace it, pave it, and rain again. Where does the water go?
Environmental
Smog & Thermal Inversions
Put a warm lid on cold air in a valley. Why does the smoke stay trapped, and what clears it?
AP Environmental Science Unit 5
Earth Science
Soil, Porosity & Groundwater
Pour water through gravel, sand, and soil. Which holds more, which drains faster, and where does a leak spread?
Environmental
Watersheds, Runoff & Land Use
Rain on a landscape model. Clear it, plow it, terrace it, pave it, and rain again. Where does the water go?
Environmental
Water Quality & Eutrophication
Add fertilizer or farm waste to a pond model. Follow the algae bloom to the fish kill, and test for coliforms.
Environmental
Disturbance, Islands & Succession
Burn, flood, or clear a patch of forest, or raise a new island. Watch what arrives and grows back over 100 years.
AP Environmental Science Unit 6
AP Environmental Science Unit 7
AP Environmental Science Unit 8
Earth Science
Soil, Porosity & Groundwater
Pour water through gravel, sand, and soil. Which holds more, which drains faster, and where does a leak spread?
Environmental
Watersheds, Runoff & Land Use
Rain on a landscape model. Clear it, plow it, terrace it, pave it, and rain again. Where does the water go?
Environmental
Water Quality & Eutrophication
Add fertilizer or farm waste to a pond model. Follow the algae bloom to the fish kill, and test for coliforms.
Environmental
Toxicology: Dose–Response & Biomagnification
Find the LC50 of brine shrimp in a 24-hour dilution series, then dose model animals in mg/kg to find an LD50. Why are they different numbers? Then follow a pesticide up a food chain.
Environmental
Design a Water Treatment Plant
Chain screening and settling, aeration, a tertiary step (chemical phosphorus removal or a constructed wetland), and disinfection. Can your plant meet the discharge limits for solids, BOD, phosphorus, and coliforms?
AP Environmental Science Unit 9
Earth Science
The Greenhouse Effect
Two bottles under a lamp, one with extra CO₂. Which warms more, and why?
Earth Science
Albedo & Ice Feedback
Shine a lamp on ice, dark soil, and water. Why does melting speed up melting?
Environmental
Ocean Acidification
Bubble CO₂ into seawater with a shell inside. What happens to pH and the shell?
Environmental
Disturbance, Islands & Succession
Burn, flood, or clear a patch of forest, or raise a new island. Watch what arrives and grows back over 100 years.
Environmental
Human Impacts & Habitat Design
A development threatens a bird population. Design, test, and refine a way to reduce the impact.
Questions about this collection
Which labs are included in this AP Environmental Science collection?
The 22 distinct courses below have an explicit AP Environmental Science reference in Scivra's catalog. A course can appear in more than one section when its catalog entry lists several references.
Does this collection cover the entire curriculum or replace required laboratory work?
No. These are selected catalog alignments, not accreditation, an official curriculum audit, or complete course coverage. Virtual investigations support preparation and explanation; they do not replace required hands-on laboratory work or safety instruction.
How can I use the course guides before an investigation?
Open a course card to read its public guide, model conditions, and frequently asked questions. Use the guide to choose a variable, make a prediction, and plan a measurement. Simulation access follows the access information on that course page.