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Volume I · MMXXVI AP Environmental Science
Library› AP Environmental Science› Unit 5: Land and Water Use
⁂   AP Environmental Science · Unit 5

5. Land and Water Use

10–15% of the AP exam. 11 key topics. 4 common errors analyzed.

10–15% exam weight

Unit 5: Land and Water Use

Unit 5 (Land and Water Use) addresses environmental systems and human impacts. FRQs in this unit typically ask you to identify problems, propose specific solutions, and explain environmental consequences.

Key topics in this unit

  1. Tragedy of the commons
  2. Deforestation: clearcutting vs. selective cutting vs. sustainable forestry
  3. Green Revolution: methods, benefits, and environmental costs
  4. Agricultural impacts on soil and water quality
  5. Irrigation methods (flood, drip, center-pivot) and salinization
  6. Integrated pest management (IPM)
  7. Impacts of meat production and animal agriculture
  8. Overfishing, bycatch, and aquaculture
  9. Mining impacts: surface mining, subsurface mining, acid mine drainage
  10. Urbanization, impervious surfaces, and ecological footprint
  11. Urban runoff and stormwater management

Common errors — what the rubric penalizes

These are the most frequently penalized mistakes on AP exam FRQs and MCQs. Review each before your next practice session.

Common error

Describing the Green Revolution only in positive terms (increased yields) without articulating its environmental costs — increased water use, pesticide runoff, soil degradation, and loss of crop genetic diversity — a common FRQ trap

Common error

Confusing salinization (salt accumulation in soil from evaporating irrigation water) with acidification — salinization reduces soil fertility through osmotic stress on crops, not pH change

Common error

Treating aquaculture as uniformly beneficial without noting its environmental concerns: nutrient pollution, disease spread to wild populations, escaped non-native species, and habitat destruction from pond construction

Common error

Conflating point source pollution (single identifiable discharge location, e.g., a pipe) with nonpoint source pollution (diffuse runoff from agriculture or urban surfaces) — precision is essential for FRQ scoring

Study checklist

  • Can you list all key topics from memory without this page?
  • Have you worked through at least one FRQ-style question per topic?
  • Can you explain each common error above — and why the correct answer differs?
  • Have you reviewed the relevant College Board CED section and formula sheet entries?
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