Unit 2: Changes in Matter

Looking at the Cause of

Rising Sea Levels
NGSS-5 PS1, ESS2
 Background
Global Climate Change is affecting the way our world works. Global climate scientists have
concluded that these impacts include:
Increases in severe weather
Warming of oceans and the atmosphere
Rising Sea Levels
Changes in Rainfall patterns

While the total impact of these changes is not clearly or completely understood, some of the impacts
are being felt today in different parts of our world. Rising sea-levels on a global basis is a major
concern because over 70% of the worlds population lives along or near coast lines.

Today you will be working as a scientist to answer the following inquiry question. Which melting ice
scenario (ice floating on ocean, or ice on land) will have biggest impact on rising sea levels.?

Success: You will determine which melting ice scenario will have the biggest impact on sea level rise.
Variables
The root word in variable is Vary. When you vary something, you change it.
A variable is any factor that can change in a scientific investigation or experiment
IV - Independent Variables - something that you have control of changing in your
experiment. There can only be ONE independent variable.
DV - Dependent Variables - something that you do not have control of changing in
your experiment. It Depends on the independent variable.
Controlled Variables - Environment, tool you're measuring with, and techniques of
measurement (1 person do the measurement) Examples: Size of ice cube, fan speed or
lights

Today we will be looking at melting ice that is already in water, and ice that is melting on
land. We will be determining which types of ice melting has an effect on rising sea levels.

IV: Floating Ice In Water. Ice On Land

DV: Rising sea level
Hypothesis
A Hypothesis is what you think is going to happen before investigating further
A Hypothesis should be written in this format: If. Then. Because.
If: tells the readers what will be changed
Then: tells the reader what will happen because of the change
Because: tells the reader how you know this will occur
Your hypothesis should explain What you expect to see in your experiment. Not Why
you expect to see it.
Example
IF you change the grade-level tested on the same math problems, THEN the
number of correct answers will change, and I will know this BECAUSE higher
grade-level students will score higher than lower grade-level students.
For our experiment it would be...
If I change (IV), Then the (DV) will change,
And I will know this Because when I (IV) I will measure a (Increase/Decrease) in the
(DV) and when I (IV), I will measure a (Increase/Decrease) in the (DV).
 Data Table
Gather data, and track your results!
Observations - anything unusual observed during experiment

DV Average Average
Initial Initial Final Final
of Initial of Final Average
Water Water Water Water Observations
Water Water Difference
IV Level 1 Level 2 Level 1 Level 2
Level Level

Ice
Floating
in
Water

Ice On
Land
Short Term VS. Long Term
Why did ice in basin 1 melt faster than ice in basin
2?
What do you think will happen to other places
around the world like the Solomon Islands?
What happens when the molecules in a liquid
get hot?
How does this affect the volume of water?
Do you think rising sea levels due to melting ice is
something we need to worry about in a short
term (25-50 years) or long term (50-100 years)?
Data Analysis Procedure
Calculate the average initial water levels for each basin
Initial Level 1 + Initial Level 2=_______, _______ 2=
Average
Calculate average of final levels for each basin
Final Level 1 + Final Level 2 = _______, _______ 2=
Average
Compute difference between the two level averages for each
basin
Initial Average - Final Average = Difference in water level
Examine difference
Determine which scenario will have the greatest difference in sea
level rise
NASA Rising Sea Levels
 Thinking Points
Answer is complete sentences!
1. Which of the two ice melting scenarios is most significant to
global sea-level rise?
2. Why do you think this? (Answer using evidence from this lab.)
3. What other phenomenon besides melting ice is contributing to
sea-level rise?
4. What is changing in our world that is causing rising sea levels?
5. What factor do 96.8% of the worlds leading climate scientists
believe is directly responsible for global warming?
6. What are some things that humans are doing to cause Global
Warming? (List as complete sentences)
Set up Procedure

1. Get two Basins (Basin 1 & Basin 2)

2. Fill each basin with the water in the
pitcher
3. In Basin 2, carefully place the
platform so it is touching the bottom
4. Take two plastic cups. One with
holes and one without holes
5. Verify Data table
Experimental Procedure
1. Place 6 ice cubes in each plastic cup
2. Place the plastic cup with holes on the center of the platform in basin 2
3. Dump the other cup of ice cubes into the water of basin 1
4. Quickly Stick the ruler along the side of Basin 1 to measure the initial
height of your sea level (amount of water in the basin)
5. Record the measurement of your initial sea level on your data table
6. Repeat step 8 for your second initial measurement
7. Stick ruler along the side of basin 2 to measure the initial height of
your sea level (amount of water in the basin)
8. Record the measurement of your initial sea level on your data table
9. Repeat step 11 for your second initial measurement
10.Wait for Ice to melt
Experimental Procedure
1. Once ice is fully melted, use your ruler to measure the height of your
sea level in Basin 1
2. Record your measurement using your data table (Final water level 1)
3. Take ruler out and measure again
4. Record your measurement using your data table (Final water level 2)
5. Use your ruler to measure the height of your sea level in Basin 2
6. Repeat steps 2 through 4
7. Find the average of your three measurements for each Basin and
record your data
8. List any observations you may have saw - Example: What you saw if it
was out of the ordinary.