Aquatic Ecosystems/Sea Level rise

Sea – Level rise

Students profile/age of the student:	10-12 years old
Climate change topic	Aquatic Ecosystems
Connected subject in the curriculum	Physics, chemistry, geography
Skills and competencies to be developed	content knowledge, teamwork, observation skills
Terminology, keywords	Global Warming, Sea Level
Teaching techniques and tools:	storytelling, presentation, teamwork
Materials needed:	– 1 disposable plastic water bottle – 1 clear plastic straw – Dark marking pen – Clay, putty, OR other malleable sealants – Paper OR cloth towels – Heat source (such as incandescent light bulbs, heat lamps, heating pads, or the Sun) – (Optional) thermometer and ruler
Materials offered	Additional links: https://youtu.be/hrufTakwFHg
The time needed for the activity	30 – 45 Minutes

Description

Sea level rise is caused by several different processes, including melting ice. But one big contributor to sea level rise is increasing global temperatures, which heat seas and cause something called the thermal expansion of water. Thermal expansion happens when water gets warmer, which causes 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.
You can see how this process works by building a model using everyday items to demonstrate that water expands when heat energy is added.

Activity step by step:

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/learn/project/how-warming-water-causes-sea-level-rise/