Sea Level rise

​​Sea level rise is the increasing of the average global sea level. It doesn’t mean that seas are higher by the same amount everywhere. In fact, in some areas, such as the west coast of the US, sea level has actually dropped slightly … for now. But before we get into that, let’s understand the main contributors to sea level rise: 

1. Melting mountain glaciers - Glaciers are bodies of ice on land that are constantly moving, carving paths through mountains and rock. As glaciers melt, the runoff flows into the oceans, raising their levels.
2. Melting polar ice caps - Think of our north and south polar regions. At both locations, we have ice on land (“land ice”) and ice floating in the ocean (“sea ice”). Melting sea ice, much like ice cubes melting in a drink, does not affect the level of the oceans. Melting land ice, however, contributes to about one third of sea level rise.
3. Thermal expansion of water - Consider that our oceans absorb over 90 percent of the heat trapped by greenhouse gasses in Earth’s atmosphere. When water heats up, its molecules become more energetic, causing the water to expand and take up more room, so that accounts for about a third of sea level rise.

1. Visit NOAA's Sea Level Rise Viewer. Zoom in on Rhode Island. Using the slider on the left (the blue ball), what cities and towns will be most affected if the sea rises five feet, ten feet?
2. Using the resources on this page, answer the following questions. You must include evidence to support your answers!

• Why are sea levels rising?
• Is this already happening - or is it a future thing?
• How much are sea levels expected to rise by 2100?
• How many people will be forced to move because of rising seas?
• Why should we be concerned about rising seas?

More Resources

The Cornell Chronicle
National Geographic
Climate Change: Global Sea Level