AP Environmental Science Flashcards: Increases in the Greenhouse Gases
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 10 cards to help you master important concepts.
What is the relationship between melting ice sheets and population dynamics?
Melting ice sheets contribute to rising sea levels, an environmental problem that can lead to changes in population dynamics and movements.
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What is the relationship between melting ice sheets and population dynamics?
Melting ice sheets contribute to rising sea levels, an environmental problem that can lead to changes in population dynamics and movements.
What are disease vectors?
Disease vectors are organisms that transmit infectious pathogens; the text notes they are spreading from the tropics toward the poles due to climate change.
Identify two distinct environmental problems that result from global climate change.
Two major environmental problems are rising sea levels and the spread of disease vectors from the tropics toward the poles.
If a coastal city must be abandoned, what phenomenon related to greenhouse gases could be the cause?
The city's abandonment could be a population movement in response to rising sea levels, an environmental problem caused by excess greenhouse gases.
What is the primary cause of global climate change, according to the provided text?
Global climate change is caused by an excess of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
What two general categories are threatened by an increase in greenhouse gases?
An increase in greenhouse gases poses threats to both human health and the environment.
Explain the threat posed by the geographic movement of disease vectors.
The spread of disease vectors from the tropics toward the poles, caused by climate change, poses a threat to human health in new regions.
How does the expansion of ocean water pose a threat to human populations?
The expansion of ocean water contributes to rising sea levels, which can cause population movements as coastal areas become uninhabitable.
How can the environmental problems caused by greenhouse gases affect human populations?
These problems can lead to changes in population dynamics and cause population movements in response to environmental shifts.
What are the two mechanisms mentioned that cause sea levels to rise?
Sea levels rise due to the melting of ice sheets and the thermal expansion of ocean water.