Center #4: Sea Level: on the Rise?

Name______#______Date______Hour______

Center #4: Sea Level: On the Rise?

Part I Vocabulary Directions: Get ONE computer. Use it to find the meaning of thermal expansion and write the meaning in the space provided below:

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Part II Background Information Directions: Read the laminated background information in the tub about rising sea level before you start the activity. Explain how thermal expansion is involved in rising sea level in the space provided below:

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RETURN THE COMPUTER TO THE CART.

Part III Conduct an Experiment Directions: Gather all of the necessary materials (listed on the back of the laminated background information sheet) and follow each step of the activity below.

1. Locate the two clear boxes lined with modeling clay. Remove the lids.

2. Place as many ice cubes as possible on the level place formed with the clay, on top of the clay, in the box labeled “Ice on Land.”

3. Place the same number of ice cubes next to the clay in the second box, so that they are resting on the bottom of the container, next to the clay, in the box labeled “Floating Ice.”

4. Pour ½ inch of water into the container labeled “Floating Ice” where the ice is resting on the bottom until the ice floats.

5. Pour ½ inch of water into the second container labeled “Ice on Land” (with the ice resting on the clay; be careful not to disturb the ice cubes) until the water levels in the two containers are approximately equal. You will leave the experiment in place and monitor the ice melt over the next 30-40 minutes.

Make a hypothesis about how the melting ice will affect sea level in both situations use (If, then): ______

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6. In the chart on the back of this page, record initial measurements of water height (in millimeters) using a ruler. For a visual impression, you may wish to draw a line in the clay where the water height begins for each container. Take measurements at 5 minute intervals and record the results. While you are waiting for each interval, work on Illustrated Dictionary vocabulary, fix any center activities you may have gotten a check minus on, or didn’t finish, or ask the teacher for a word search. This will be an extra credit opportunity.

Time Intervals (minutes) / Water Height (Floating Ice Box) / Water Height (Ice on Land Box)
0
5
10
15
20

7. At the last interval (hopefully after most of the ice has melted) measure new water heights and make observations about what occurred once the ice melted. Record their measurements on your worksheet.

8. What was the scientific question we were trying to answer by conducting this experiment?______

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9. Did one container have a greater increase in sea level? Explain: ______

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10. How do the results compare with your hypothesis? ______

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11. Why do you think the results turned out the way they did? ______

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12. Name a few coastal cities or states where a rise in sea-level rise could threaten the people, buildings, and ecosystems in these areas.

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13. Call the teacher for instructions on how to clean up the lab materials.

Part IV CER Directions: Answer the essential question below after completing the lab. Be sure to fill in all sections of the CER.

Essential Question: Does it matter whether glacial ice is on land or water when it melts; will one or both cause sea level to rise?
Claim:
Lab Evidence: (what you saw) / Research Evidence: (cited from a source)
Reasoning: