A Level Environmental Science

The Physical Environment: Here you will study the atmosphere, how it works and how we monitor it. Including its dynamic nature, carbon footprints and ozone depletion. Water resources, how humans influence the water cycle and how we maintain sustainable supplies. Mineral resources, how they form, how we find them, and the issues associated with their extraction as well as how to protect the environment from the impact of extraction. The carbon, phosphorous and nitrogen cycles, our influence on them and how we can exploit them sustainably. Soils, how they form, how we make them vulnerable and how we can protect them.

In your second year of study: We cover a range of real-world examples that enable us to apply what we learned in the first year to understand the impacts they have on the environment and what we can do to mitigate this. The examples include: energy resources, pollution, agriculture, fishing and forestry.

In the second year of your studies:

Energy resources: The importance of energy supply in the development of society, the impact of their features in their use. We study the sustainability of our current resources and the strategies to secure our future, using renewable and non-renewable resources. We will also look at new ways to conserve energy in the domestic and industrial setting.

Pollution: The properties of pollutants, how environmental factors affect the severity of pollution, and the strategies to control pollutants. We will study pollutants such as acid rain, NOx, hydrocarbons, pesticides, nutrients and heavy metals, noise and radiation, as well as many more.

Agriculture: methods of intensive and non-intensive farming including pest control, increases in yield and environmental impacts. Along with the social and political factors involved.

Fishing and aquaculture: Aquatic food production, fisheries and marine productivity. The impact of humans on fish populations and exploring the concept of maximum sustainable yield.

Forest resources: Exploring the relationship between productivity and biodiversity as well as the impacts exploitation is having on the environment and how this will affect future supplies.

Sustainability: This section looks at the dynamic nature of our Earth and how positive and negative feedback mechanisms effect the rate of change in our environment. Here we will look at Energy, material cycles and the circular economy.

Students undertaking A Level Environmental Science are expected to take part in the planned field trip / visits programme, this is an applied field science and as such cannot be taught solely in the classroom. The course has a strong emphasis on developing the students’ knowledge and understanding of field work, so it is very important that students take part fully in this side of the course. The skills gained in the field will be assessed as part of the written examinations and we have to show the exam board that you have experience in the field.