Click Thru - Climate Change Lesson: Melting Ice and Rising Sea Levels

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Melting Ice and Rising Sea Levels

Climate Change

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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

Greenland Ice Sheet

Select Greenland.

Select the glacier.

Welcome to Greenland!

Select Greenland in the image of Earth.

An INCREDIBLE amount of frozen water!

About 80% of Greenland is covered by a huge ice sheet, which is made up of many glaciers all joined together.

Greenland in 2013

Greenland in early 1900s

image credit

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

The glaciers in Greenland and other parts of Earth are melting significantly faster than in previous decades.

image credit

Select any of the ice shown in this image of Greenland.

What could be causing the rapid melting of the ice in Greenland and other places on Earth?

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

Gas to Liquid

During melting, a substance changes from which state to which state?

To understand why the Earth's ice is melting, it's important to first grasp the concept of melting itself.

Liquid to Solid

Solid to Liquid

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

Removing heat energy

Which of the follow causes a solid to melt into a liquid?

Yes! Melting occurs when a substance changes from a solid to a liquid.

Adding heat energy

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

Select the ice.

You got it! When a solid like ice absorbs enough heat energy, it transforms from solid to liquid.

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

Ice sheets, glaciers, and sea ice around the world are melting at an increased rate due to absorbing more heat energy than they did in the past.

But where is this extra heat coming from? Select the ice to find out.

Select a part of the graphic that represents sunlight energy as it enters Earth's atmosphere.

Energy from the sun reaches Earth as solar radiation, which is a form of light energy.

Select a part of the graphic that represents sunlight that refects back into space.

About 29% of sunlight is reflected back into space by clouds, the atmosphere, and bright surfaces like snow and ice.

Select any red arrow that shows the heat energy being emitted by the Earth.

Sunlight that is not reflected back to space is absorbed by the Earth and then released as heat energy.

Select one of the arrows that represent heat energy that does not reflect back into outer space but instead remains trapped within Earth's atmosphere.

Just as a blanket or jacket prevents heat energy from escaping,greenhouse gases trap heat within Earth's atmosphere.

Select the part of the graphic that represents human activities that release additional greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Human activities like driving and factory operations increase greenhouse gas emissions, leading to more heat being trapped in Earth's atmosphere.

Ice Sheet- massive, continent-covering ice expanses like those in Antarctica and Greenland

Glacier- large, slow-moving masses of ice on land

Sea ice- ice that forms and melts in the sea.

Continue

As Earth's atmosphere traps more heat energy, ice around the world absorbs it, melting at a faster rate.

As mentioned before, reflective surfaces like snow and ice play a crucial role in reflecting some of the sun's energy back into space.

Select the part of the graphic that shows sunlight energythat reflects off the bright snow and icy surface.

When ice melts, bright surfaces like snow and ice, which used to reflect sunlight, become dark surfaces like ocean water or land that absorb more sunlight.

Mostly reflects sunlight energy

Mostly absorbs sunlight energy

Select any part in the image above that shows a surface that would absorb more sunlight energy.

• warming
• cooling
• freezing

Continue

• absorb
• reflect
• remove

• melting
• freezing
• condensing

• darker
• lighter
• purple

Select the correct words in the paragraph.

Not quite. Try again.

Check

When ice melts, it exposes *darker* surfaces like ocean and land, which *absorb* more heat. This leads to more *warming* and more ice *melting* .

0.71 degrees Celsius

1.2 degrees Celsius

0.02 degrees Celsius

How much warmer was the average global ocean surface temperature in 2020 than in 1880?

As more heat is absorbed by Earth's atmosphere and surfaces, it leads to global warming, affecting both land and ocean temperatures.

lowercase letters only

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

melt

Watch and answer questions in this video from NASA to learn how the warming oceans affect glaciers.

Continue

Into the Ocean

To Space

The End Fountain

Where does the melted ice go?

As a result of the warming atmosphere and oceans, ice throughout the world is melting rapidly, and the melting rate is accelerating.

1000 millimeters (or 100 cm)

50 millimeters (or 5 cm)

Credit: Climate.nasa.gov

100 millimeters (or 10 cm)

According to this graph, between 1993 and 2022, Earth's sea levels have increased by about __________.

Sea Level Variations Since 1993

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.

Select the water.

But, it's A LOT of extra water.

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

High Tide

High Tide

After 10 cm increase in sea levels

Before increase in sea levels

Select diagram that shows tidal flooding.

A slight rise in sea levels leads to more frequent and severe floods during high tides.

High tide flooding has doubled in the United States in the last 30 years.

Select the area that is flooded due to tidal flooding.

Image Credit

Select the part of this bar graph that represents U.S. tidal flooding incidents in the 1950s.

Image Credit

Now select the part of this bar graph that shows the highest number of flooding incidents.

Not only has tidal flooding increased as a result of higher sea levels, storm surges are more common and more extreme.

Continue

high winds

storm surge

normal high tide

Select the arrow in the diagram that represents the storm surge water level.

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

high winds

normal high tide

storm surge

normal high tide

storm surge

high winds

After 10 cm increase in sea levels

Before increase in sea levels

Select the arrow in the diagram that represents the storm surge water level after the increase in sea levels.

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

The process of building up land with rocks and soil

Flooding and storm surges lead to coastal erosion, eroding beaches and endangering nearby land and habitats.

What is erosion?

The wearing away of land or soil by water, wind, or ice

Select the area that shows where the sea has eroded the beach and damaged a highway.

You got it, erosion is the wearing away of land or soil by water, wind, or ice These photos of Rodanthe, North Carolina, show erosion effects from a storm surge.

By St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

lowercase letters only

Enter the code word here.

ice

Continue

Now consider the causes and the effects of rising sea levels. Move each image to the correct category to receieve the code word.

lowercase letters only

Enter the code word here.

ocean

Summarize the causes and effects of rising sea levels.

Continue

The Google Form code word is: teacher

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photo credit: NOAA

Great work! Maybe one day you'll be a scientist that helps us better understand glaciers and sea levels.

photo credit: NOAA

Continue

The Mauna Loa Weather Observatory

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

Select any arrow that shows the heat energy being emitted by the Earth.

Not quite. Notice that in 1880, the change from the 20th century average was -0.02 degrees C and in 2020 it was +0.69 degrees C. Try again!

Select diagram that shows tidal flooding.

Select the part of this bar graph that showsthe highest number of flooding incidents.

Not quite. Perhaps this diagram can help you.

Select any part in the image above that shows a surfacethat would absorb more sunlight energy.

Select one of the arrows that represent heat energy that does not reflect back into outer space but instead remains trapped within Earth's atmosphere.

Not quite. Remember that heat travels from where it's warmer to where it's cooler. As an ice cube melts, heat is travels FROM its surroundings into the ice cube. The ice cube absorbs the heat energy.

Select the area that shows where the sea has eroded the beach and damaged a highway.

Select the part of this bar graph that representsU.S. tidal flooding incidents in the 1950s.

Select the arrow in the diagram that representsthe storm surge water level after the increase in sea levels.

Select diagram that shows tidal flooding.

Erosion is the wearing away of land or soil by water, wind, or ice. Please try again.

Your response was not correct.

Select part of the graphic that represents sunlight energy as it enters Earth's atmosphere.

Not quite. Perhaps this diagram can help you.

Not quite. Notice that in 1880, the change from the 20th century average was -0.02 degrees C and in 2020 it was +0.69 degrees C. Try again!

Select the arrow in the diagram thatrepresents the storm surge water level.

Select the part of the graphic that shows sunlight energythat reflects off the bright snow and icy surface.

Select the part of the graphic that represents human activities that release additional greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Select a part of the graphic that represents sunlight that refects back into space.