In 1938, British scientist, Guy Stewart Callendar, argued that the link between rising Carbon Dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the Atmosphere and a rise in global temperature would have other subsequent and varying changes on the Earth’s climate patterns. Now, the vast majority of climate scientists (95-98%) know that recent climate changes are due to the burning of coal, oil and gas.

The effects include changes to existing weather events such as  hurricanes, floods, droughts, wildfires, and more. However, in this activity, we will focus on the effects of climate change on the world’s oceans because they cover 70% of the Earth which means they take the large brunt of the change. In short, sea-level rise is an increase in the level of the planet’s oceans because of global warming which contributes to a) added ocean water from melting glaciers and ice sheets, and b) the expansion of warming seawater. As the temperature of the atmosphere rises due to the burning of fossil fuels and the release of excess greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide) the oceans absorb this heat which causes the water molecules to expand.

Moreover, as the atmospheric temperature rises, land-ice (such as in Greenland and Antarctica) is also affected and melts into the oceans at an accelerated rate, which contributes to the amount of seawater. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the global mean sea-level rise has been approximately 8-9 inches since 1880. It is projected that sea levels are likely to rise even more in response to historic greenhouse gas emissions, which threatens low-lying island nations, global coastlines, freshwater supplies, and wildlife habitats from increased storm surges, flooding and damage to coastal areas. 

Video Essays

Please watch the following Video Essays:

‘This is what Sea Level Rise will do to Coastal Cities,’ by The Verge Science (7 minutes)

‘6 Major US cities could be underwater within 80 years — here are the disturbing ‘after’ images’ by Business Insider (3 minutes)

Interactive Map

Instructions:

1) Open Climate Central’s Surging Seas: Risk Zone Map .

2) Click the ‘-’ minus button on the bottom-right of the screen to scroll outward and see more of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

3) Click the double-arrow beside ‘Water Level’ on the bottom-left of the screen, then click ‘Show Current Coast’.

4) Click the double-arrow again, and scroll through the various levels of sea rise (1 to 10 in feet) to learn how Vancouver may be impacted.

5) Use the search bar on the top-right of the screen to learn about sea level rise in locations of your choosing. 

Supplemental Resources

Read, watch and listen to the following material: 

• Reading Material – NOAA Climate.gov ‘Climate Change: Global Sea Level’ . 
• Watching Material – The Verge Science ‘Sea level rise is so much more than melting ice’ (Video Essay, 6 minutes) .
• Listening Material – NPR ‘Why Scientists are Racing to Save Historical Sea Level Records’ (Podcast, 12 minutes) .
  

Guiding Questions

1. Can you define Global Warming?
2. What is the connection between the Greenhouse Gas Effect and Global Warming?
3. Can you define Climate Change?
4. What is the difference between Climate Change and Global Warming?
5. Can you describe how Climate Change leads to Sea Level Rise?
6. How much Sea Level Rise has occurred and is projected to occur?
7. What are and will be the impacts of Sea Level Rise on people and health, infrastructure and economies, coastlines and environment, and weather events?