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Teacher Presentation: Ice and Rising Sea Levels

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Created on December 20, 2022

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Transcript

This Virtual Science Teachers interactive is a work in progress. Feel free to use it, but be sure to come back later when it is complete too! Suzanne

https://view.genial.ly/6274ac05894dc800183143ad

Melting Ice and Rising Sea Levels

Presentation Version

Select here for access to student version from Virtual Science Teachers website.

Begin

This interactive is brought to you by Virtual Science Teachers. Copyright Virtual Science Teachers 2022

The Great Barrier Reef

NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies

Amazon Rainforests

Norway

Greenland Ice Sheet

Mauna Loa Observatory

Click on Greenland.

Welcome to Greenland!

Your challenge is to learn how rising air and ocean temperatures effect the Greenland Ice Sheet and sea levels across the world.

Click on the glacier.

Almost 80% of Greenland is covered by an ice sheet (one gigantic glacier).

An INCREDIBLE amount of frozen water!

Click on Greenland in the image of Earth.

Almost 80% of Greenland is covered by a giant sheet of ice.

As more CO2 and other greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere, the Earth gets warmer. Evidence that the Earth is warming can clearly be seen in Greenland... WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF ICE!

What happens to solid water (ice) when it warms up?

It disappears.

It turns from solid to liquid. In other words, it melts.

Almost 80% of Greenland is covered by a giant sheet of ice.

That's right, ice melts when it warms up.

The glaciers that make up the Greenland Ice Sheet are melting faster than they have melted in the past 12,000 years.

image credit

Greenland in 2013

Greenland in early 1900s

image credit

Click on the image that shows a river where ice used to be.

Welcome to the Greenland!

Scientists have realized that not only are warmer air temperatures melting the glaciers, but warmer salt water is also causing the giant chunks of ice to break off at a high rate.

Click on the glacier to learn more about how glaciers melt.

Welcome to the Greenland!

melt

Answer the questions throughout this video from NASA. The code word you need to move on is at the end of the video.

Enter the code word provided at the end of the video.

lowercase letters only

Continue

As a result of the warming atmosphere and oceans, Greenland’s ice is melting rapidly, and the melting rate is accelerating.

Where does the melted ice go?

The End Fountain

Into the Ocean

To Space

Yes, the melted ice from Greenland's Ice Sheet and other glaciers around the world goes into the oceans and causes their levels to increase.

Sea Level Variations Since 1993

Credit: Climate.nasa.gov

Since 1993, Earth's sea levels have increased by about __________.

50 millimeters (or 5 cm)

100 millimeters (or 10 cm)

1000 millimeters (or 100 cm)

As the world's ice sheets and glaciers melt, the sea level _________.

Click on Greenland on the Image of Earth

100 millimeters (10 cm- about the height of a pencil), may not seem like a big increase in sea level.

But, it's A LOT of extra water.

Click on the water.

Flooding around the world has increased dramatically as a result of the higher sea levels.
Flooding around the world has increased dramatically as a result of the higher sea levels.
As a result of the higher sea levels, Storm surges are more common and more extreme.

In addition to amplifying storm surge because the water starts at a higher level, sea level rise increases high-tide flooding, which has doubled in the United States over the past 30 years and is expected to rapidly worsen in the coming decades.

high tide

Just a small increase in sea levels causes an increase in floods that happens due to normal high tides.

High Tide

High Tide

Before increase in sea levels

After 10 cm increase in sea levels

high tide

high tide

Click on diagram that shows tidal flooding.
Tidal flooding has doubled in the United States in the last 30 years.
Flooding around the world has increased dramatically as a result of the higher sea levels.
As a result of the higher sea levels, Storm surges are more common and more extreme.
Higher sea levels more tidal floods, which are floods that happens due to normal high tides.

In addition to amplifying storm surge because the water starts at a higher level, sea level rise increases high-tide flooding, which has doubled in the United States over the past 30 years and is expected to rapidly worsen in the coming decades.

Tidal flooding has doubled in the United States in the last 30 years.
Click on street that is flooded due to tidal flooding.
Flooding around the world has increased dramatically as a result of the higher sea levels.

In addition to amplifying storm surge because the water starts at a higher level, sea level rise increases high-tide flooding, which has doubled in the United States over the past 30 years and is expected to rapidly worsen in the coming decades.

Another result of the higher sea levels, is that storm surges are more common and more extreme.
Continue
Flooding around the world has increased dramatically as a result of the higher sea levels.

In addition to amplifying storm surge because the water starts at a higher level, sea level rise increases high-tide flooding, which has doubled in the United States over the past 30 years and is expected to rapidly worsen in the coming decades.

Storm surges are caused by wind and pressure changes during hurricanes and other storms.

high winds

storm surge

normal high tide

Click on the arrow in the diagram that represents the storm surge water level.
Click on the line in the diagram that represents the storm surge water level .
Flooding around the world has increased dramatically as a result of the higher sea levels.

In addition to amplifying storm surge because the water starts at a higher level, sea level rise increases high-tide flooding, which has doubled in the United States over the past 30 years and is expected to rapidly worsen in the coming decades.

With increased sea levels, the storm surges reach much farther onto land.

After 10 cm increase in sea levels

Before increase in sea levels

high winds

high winds

storm surge

storm surge

normal high tide

normal high tide

Click on the arrow in the diagram that represents the storm surge water level after the increase in sea levels.
Click on the line in the diagram that represents the storm surge water level after the increase in sea levels.
Storm surges are more common and more extreme.
Rising sea levels increases coastal floods, which causes incredible damage to ecosystems and properties.

Continue

Flooding around the world has increased dramatically as a result of the higher sea levels.
Tidal flooding has doubled in the United States in the last 30 years.
Drag each image so it is above the correct caption. Once all images are correctly placed, a message will appear.

Great Work! Click here.

Sea Levels (mm)

The extra CO2 traps heat that would otherwise escape into space.

As Earth warms up, glaciers and ice sheets melt faster.

Humans release a lot of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Water from melted glaciers and ice sheets cause sea levels to rise.

Higher sea levels have caused tidal flooding to double in the US over the last 30 years.

Higher sea levels cause storm surges to be frequent and more extreme.

The Mauna Loa Weather Observatory

You successfully completed the challenge! Maybe one day you'll be a scientist that helps us understand glaciers and sea levels.

photo credit: NOAA

photo credit: NOAA

This feature is disabled in the teacher presentation.

This interactive is brought to you by Virtual Science Teachers. Copyright Virtual Science Teachers 2022

NOAA began measurements in 1974, and the two research institutions have made complementary, independent observations ever since.

https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/ocean-coasts/ocean-acidification

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