Investigating Global Warming and Climate Change

What is causing Sea Level Rise?

Your third task is to answer the question

“The Coast is Getting Closer!”

In New Jersey, we can experience flooding from several directions!�

• Thunderstorms – many times every year�
• Hurricanes and Coastal Storms –�none to “a few” every year�
• Sea Level Rise – a very slow process

We need to Learn more about how Sea Level Rise effects our planet

Let’s do two experiments to understand what causes sea levels to rise.

How does climate change affect sea level?

• Increasing Carbon Dioxide in our atmosphere is warming Earth’s oceans and lands.
• Melting ice and expansion of warming seawater is increasing the average sea level of all our oceans.
• The average sea level has risen over 7 inches in the past 100 years.
• A few inches may not seem like much, but every inch of sea level rise covers 50-100 inches of beach.
• If the ice keeps melting, global sea level could rise more than 20 feet. That would put a lot of coastlines under water. 
• Whole islands could disappear!

SEA LEVEL RISE

Melting ice

Think where on Earth ice naturally occurs.

Let’s list of a few places where you might find ice in nature, and sort it into two categories

SEA LEVEL RISE

Ice on Land

Ice in the Sea

Glaciers

Sea Ice

Ice Sheets

Ice Bergs

What is your prediction for which type of ice

contributes more to sea level rise?

Land Ice or Sea Ice

SEA LEVEL RISE

1. The Research Team (Science Apprentices 1-4) or the teacher will press equal amounts of clay into one side of two plastic containers, making a smooth, flat surface representing land rising out of the ocean.
2. In one container, science apprentice 1 places as many ice cubes as possible on the flat clay surface. This represents land ice.

Experiment 1

3. In the other container, science apprentice 2 places the same number of ice cubes on the bottom of the container, next to the clay. This represents sea ice.

4. Science apprentice 3 Pours water into the sea-ice container until the ice floats. Be sure no ice is resting on the bottom of the container and that the water isn't higher than the land level.

Experiment 1

Experiment 1

5. Without disturbing the ice cubes, science apprentice 4 pours water into the land-ice container until the water level is equal to the water level in the sea-ice container.

Experiment 1

Begin your observations

1. Using the ruler, science apprentice 1 will measure the water level in each container and record the data on their data sheet
2. At regular intervals – maybe every 20 minutes – science apprentices will take turns measuring the water level in each container again and record it on the data sheet.
3. Allow the ice in both tubs to melt completely. The research team will compare the measurements of the water levels in each container and graph the data.

• In which container did the water level rise more?
• How does this compare to your prediction?
• Why do you think this occurred?
• Does the melting of Earth’s glaciers on land contribute to sea level rise?
• How about the melting of icebergs at sea?
• Which type of ice will contribute more to sea level rise?

Discuss the results and Draw a conclusion

SEA LEVEL RISE

Think about what happens to molecules when they are heated

Experiment 2

How Warming Water Causes Sea Level Rise

One big contributor to sea level rise is increasing global temperatures

• Which heat seas and cause something called thermal expansion of water
• Thermal expansion happens when water gets warmer, causing the volume of the water to increase
• About half of the measured global sea level rise on Earth is from warming waters and thermal expansion

Experiment 2

The effect of increasing temperature on expansion of water

The Research Team (Science Apprentices 1-4)

1. Prepare the bottle -The research team will completely fill the bottle with water to the rim. It's OK if some water spills out (have a towel ready)

Experiment 2

Experiment 2

2. Prepare the straw

• Wrap the clay around the straw, being careful not to pinch the straw closed. Leave 2-3 inches (5-8 cm) of straw above and below the clay and be sure to close any gaps between the straw and the clay so no water can leak out.
• Apply a stick-on thermometer to the side of the bottle that will face away from the heat source.

Experiment 2

3. Attach the straw

Insert the straw into the water bottle. The straw should extend down about 2-3 inches into the bottle.

Seal the top of the bottle. You can:

• Plug up the bottle opening using clay wrapped around the straw.

OR

• Wrap the clay around the opening of the bottle and cover the threads.

​

Make sure no water leaks out of the top of the bottle. You should see some water in the straw near the top of the clay.

Experiment 2

4. Prepare to measure

• Place the water bottle where you will apply heat from a lamp, the Sun or another heat source.
• Use the marking pen to mark a line on the straw to indicate the base, or zero-level, of the water.

Once the line is marked – DO NOT MOVE THE BOTTLE - moving and squeezing the bottle will alter your measurements.

Experiment 2

5. Heat it up

• Direct a heat source at the bottle or place the bottle in direct sunlight.

Some heat sources apply heat with different intensities - keep checking the water bottle to make sure the heat isn’t damaging it.

Experiment 2

6. Measure it

• Measure and record the water level in millimeters on the data sheet, starting from the zero-level mark drawn on the straw.
• For each measurement, align the "0" mark on the ruler to the zero-level mark you made in Step 4.
• Record the temperature at these intervals.

Note: The time it takes to notice a change in temperature and water height may vary depending on the heat source you use and the size of your water bottle.

Draw a conclusion

Write a description of what you observed in the straw. Graph your measurements on paper or using spreadsheet software.

What happened to the water level as heat energy was added?

How did the heat energy affect the water molecules?

How does this relate to increasing global temperatures and sea level rise?

Think about what your observations mean for melting ice around the planet and how it contributes to sea level rise.

• Build structures that keep the water out.
• Grow natural places that absorb water and keep coasts safe (Marshes, Mangroves etc.).
• Move homes away from flood areas.
• Design structures that float.

What can we do help us avoid the effects of sea level rise?