SACE Stage 2 Earth and Environmental Science study guide
SACE Stage 2 Earth and Environmental Science · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Earth and Environmental Science is a Stage 2 subject in the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE), the senior secondary qualification delivered by the SACE Board of South Australia. The subject is intended for students in their final year of schooling who want to understand how the Earth works as an integrated system and how human activity both shapes and depends on it. The SACE Stage 2 Earth and Environmental Science study guide has 4 sections and about 1,279 words.
01Earth Systems and Their Interactions
Earth and Environmental Science treats Earth as four interacting spheres: the geosphere (solid rock, mantle, core), the hydrosphere (oceans, ice, groundwater), the atmosphere (gases and aerosols), and the biosphere (living organisms, including humans). Each sphere stores matter and energy, and fluxes (flows) move material between reservoirs (stores).
365 words, about 2 min02Earth's Resources
Earth's resources are grouped as renewable (replenished on human timescales, such as solar, wind, and sustainably managed biomass) and non-renewable (formed over geological timescales, such as coal, oil, gas, and most metal ores). A crucial distinction is between a resource (a concentration that may be exploitable) and a reserve (the portion proven and economically recoverable at current prices and technology).
319 words, about 2 min03Climate Change
Climate is driven by the energy balance between incoming solar radiation and outgoing longwave radiation. Greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapour) absorb outgoing infrared and re-radiate energy, warming the surface.
295 words, about 1 min04Inquiry Skills: Investigations, Data Analysis, and Evaluating Conclusions
A strong investigation states a testable hypothesis , identifies independent , dependent , and controlled variables , and describes a reproducible method with appropriate sample size and replication . Recognise random versus systematic error and the difference between accuracy (closeness to true value) and precision (closeness of repeated measurements).
300 words, about 2 min