IB Correlations for Environmental Science
As outlined in the Environmental Systems and Societies syllabus in the IB Diploma Programme guide, published for the first examination in 2010, these objectives are arranged according to a series of topics, each with a number of subtopics.
In the table below, we have correlated the topics and subtopics with the experiments that are contained in the books Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry, Water Quality with Vernier, Agricultural Science with Vernier, and Chemistry with Vernier.
Click on any Vernier experiment name to download a free student version of the lab for your evaluation.
| Topic | Topic Name | Sub-Topic | Sub Topic Title | Experiment Name | Experiment Number | Vernier Lab Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Systems and Models | |||||
| 1.1 | ||||||
| 2 | The Ecosystem | |||||
| 2.1 | Structure | |||||
| 2.2 | Measuring abiotic components of the system | (see below) | ||||
| 2.2.2 | (1) Marine | Investigating Salinity | 7 | Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry | ||
| 2.2.2 | (2) Freshwater | Turbidity Test | 3 | Water Quality with Vernier | ||
| 2.2.2 | (3) Terrestrial | Soil Moisture | 11 | Agricultural Science with Vernier | ||
| 2.3 | Measuring biotic components of the system | (see 4.1) | ||||
| 2.4 | Biomes | |||||
| 2.5 | Function | |||||
| 2.6 | Changes | |||||
| 2.7 | Measuring changes in the system | Any of these labs… | ||||
| 3 | Human population, carrying capacity and resource use | |||||
| 3.1 | Population Dynamics | Modeling Population Growth | 24 | Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry | ||
| 3.2 | Resources – natural capacity | |||||
| 3.3 | Energy resources | (see below) | ||||
| (1) Non-renewable | Fossil Fuel Energy | 26 | Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry | |||
| (2) Renewable | Wind Energy | 28 | Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry | |||
| The Energy Content of Fuels* | 24 | Agricultural Science with Vernier | ||||
| 3.4 | The soil system | (see below) | ||||
| 3.4.2 | Properties of soils and effect on Primary Productivity | Primary Productivity* Types of soils | ||||
| 3.4.3 | Consequences of soil degradation | Soil Salinity | 9 | Agricultural Science with Vernier | ||
| 3.5 | The Food System | (see below) | ||||
| 3.5.2 | Energy efficiency of terrestrial and aquatic food systems | Energy Content of Foods* (compare terrestrial and aquatic harvests) | 16 | Chemistry with Vernier | ||
| 3.5.3 | Evaluate impacts/inputs for two named food production systems | Primary Productivity* (effects of fertilizer) OR Fecal Coliform Test | 9 | Water Quality with Vernier | ||
| 3.6 | Water Systems | |||||
| 3.7 | Limits to growth | Modeling Population Growth | 24 | Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry | ||
| 3.8 | Environmental demands of human populations | |||||
| 4 | Conservation and biodiversity | |||||
| 4.1 | Biodiversity in Systems | Measuring Biodiversity in Ecosystems | 15 | Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry | ||
| 4.2 | Evaluating biodiversity and vulnerability | Measuring Biodiversity in Ecosystems | 15 | Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry | ||
| 4.3 | Conservation of biodiversity | Measuring Biodiversity in Ecosystems | 15 | Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry | ||
| 5 | Pollution management | |||||
| 5.1 | Nature of pollution | |||||
| 5.2 | Detection and monitoring of pollution | (see below) | ||||
| 5.2.1 | (1) Air | Investigating Indoor Carbon Dioxide Concentrations | 33 | Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry | ||
| 5.2.1 | (1) Air | Measuring Particulates | 32 | Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry | ||
| 5.2.1 | (2) Soil | Soil Salinity | 9 | Agricultural Science with Vernier | ||
| 5.2.1 / 5.2.2 | (3) Water / Biochemical Oxygen Demand | Biochemical Oxygen Demand | 6 | Water Quality with Vernier | ||
| 5.2.3 | Biotic Index | Investigating Dissolved Oxygen | 3 | Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry | ||
| 5.3 | Approaches to pollution management | A Pollution Study (if modified) | 34 | Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry | ||
| 5.4 | Eutrophication | Ammonium Nitrogen Test | 10 | Water Quality with Vernier | ||
| 5.5 | Solid domestic waste | |||||
| 5.6 | Depletion of stratospheric ozone | Suncreen Comparison | 22 | Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry | ||
| UV Investigations | 21 | Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry | ||||
| 5.7 | Urban air pollution | Alkalinity Test | 11 | Water Quality with Vernier | ||
| 5.8 | Acid deposition | The Effect of Acid Deposition on Aquatic Ecosystems | 31 | Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry | ||
| 6 | The issue of global warming | |||||
| Global Warming | 20 | Investigating Environmental Science through Inquiry |
The IB Diploma Program is an official program of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) which authorizes schools to offer it. The material available here has been developed independently of the IBO and is not endorsed by it.