Science Concepts—Sea Level

Summary: One consequence of climate change is sea level rise. In order to determine whether global sea level is changing, scientists must be able to understand natural temporal and spatial sea level variability. This topic guide includes resources related to global sea level measurements and trends. Students compare global sea level trends with regional and local sea level measurements using online data and/or through a coastal field experience.

Concepts to teach:

• Crosscutting Concepts
  • Stability and Change
• Disciplinary Core Ideas
  • ESS3.D – Global Climate Change
• Science Practices
  • Analyzing and interpreting data

Goals:

1. Scientists measure water level to determine patterns and trends.
2. Ocean water levels vary depending on scale and geographic location.
3. Overall, global sea level is rising.

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

• HS-ESS3-5 – Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth systems.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

1. Define global, local and relative sea level
2. Use online sea level data to determine global and regional trends
3. Use online or collected data to describe water levels for an coastal area in Oregon

Activity Links and Resources:

• Reading: What is sea level? From NOAA Tides and Currents
• Global sea level—Long term changes in global mean sea level is measured by satellite altimetry. View trends from the NOAA/NESDIS/STAR Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry.
• Regional sea level trends—How does the sea level in Oregon compare to other parts of the world?
  • Sea level maps and graphs from NOAA Tides and Currents
  • Sea level changes along the Oregon coast tend to be LOWER than the world average. This is because the Juan de Fuca plate is subducted beneath and is pushing up the North American Plate. Video: Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon and Washington – NAS
  • When Antarctic glaciers melt, sea level near the equator rises, but sea level in Antarctica falls. Read an explanation why
• Local Sea Level is measured by tide stations, which refer to the height of the water as measured along the coast relative to a specific point on land. Invite students to explore online water level data.
  • Review: OCEP Tides of the Estuary
  • Real time CO-OPS Station water level data
• Visit a coastal or aquatic site to determine current and historic high water level based on:
  • available data sets (local, online, etc.)
  • historical photos (contact the local historical society)
  • landscape indicators (identifying plant communities, erosion effects, etc.)
  • proximity of human infrastructure
  • direct measure with a meter stick, repeat measurements over time if possible

Assessment:

• What happened to the water level as the temperature increased?
• What caused the water level in the flask to change over time?
• Would salt water react the same way as fresh water? How could you design an experiment that would test your hypothesis?

Introduction—How do we know the world is warming?

Summary: What is climate change? How do we know it is happening? The resources in this topic guide provide an overview to the topic of climate change. Simple explanations and analogies are presented so that students can articulate a big picture view of the issue, with the recognition that these models have been developed based on evidence collected from complex scientific research throughout a number of disciplines. Subsequent sections of the OCEP Climate Change module explore some of these factors in greater depth.

Concepts to teach:

Crosscutting Concepts	Disciplinary Core Ideas	Science Practices
Stability and Change	ESS3.D – Global Climate Change	Asking Questions, Analyzing and interpreting data, Engaging in argument from evidence

Goals:

1. 1. Global climate change is caused by human activities that add excess greenhouse gases into the atmosphere; namely the burning of fossil fuels.

1. 1. Scientists interpret patterns to construct explanations and come to evidence-based conclusions.

1. 1. Climate change affects the ocean.

1. Climate change affects all of us, no matter where we live.

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

• HS-ESS3-5. Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth systems.

Specific Objectives:

Students will be able to:

1. 1. Define “global climate change”

1. 1. Explain how scientific data provide evidence of global climate change

1. Describe relationships between the ocean and the global climate

Activity Links and Resources:

• • Ten Signs of a Warming World—This NOAA Climate Program Office webpage can be used to explore a variety of indicators that help scientists understand that the world is warming. Download a Power Point presentation to use in your classroom. Each topic slide is link to online data. Many of the examples show specific relationships to ocean systems.
    
    • Warming World Interactive PPT

• • The Teacher-Friendly Guide to Climate Change – This book from the Paleontological Research Institution includes both the basics of climate change science and perspectives on teaching a subject that has become socially and politically polarized.  Great for high school Earth science and environmental science teachers 

• • The Very, Very Simple Climate Model—This lesson plan is from NESTA Windows to the Universe. Students use an online model to graphically visualize and predict the relationship between CO2 emissions and average global temperature.
    • Notes from CLEAN (Climate Literacy & Energy Awareness Network) about using the model

• Reading/Discussion:
  • Climate: Fact v. Fiction—A two-page handout from Leonard Gelland Center that addresses several misconceptions about climate change, and includes a list of possible discussion questions for students.

Assessment:

• • Interpret a graph from the Warming World Interactive power point and describe how the data serve as an indicator of climate change. What are the limits of the data? What other information would be helpful to have?

• • Describe three ways the ocean is affected by global climate change.

• Explain “global climate change” in terms a layperson can understand, using one or more of the following: 1) oral presentation, in less than one minute, 2) one written paragraph, or 3) an infographic

Mitigation—Reduce Emissions

Summary: We know what factors are contributing to a change in our global climate and ocean, so what can students, parents, and schools do to help? There are actions that individuals and communities can take to help reduce the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases that go into the atmosphere. This topic guide empowers students to take action and make a difference.

Concepts to teach:

Crosscutting Concepts	Disciplinary Core Ideas	Science Practices
Cause and Effect	ESS3.C – Human Impacts on Earth Systems	Constructing explanations and designing solutions

Goals:

1. Reducing carbon emissions will make a difference to the rate and impact of climate change
2. There are personal actions everyone can take to help reduce the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases that go into the atmosphere

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

• MS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

1. Describe how reducing greenhouse gas emissions will reduce the rate and impacts of climate change
2. Identify and evaluate behaviors that reduce the amount of carbon humans put into the atmosphere

Activity Links and Resources:

• The bathtub model shows that turning off the tap is an important component to solving the problem of excess greenhouse gases.
• How does your behavior affect the carbon balance? Calculate your impact:
  • Carbon Calculator from the EPA
  • Carbon Footprint Calculator—a detailed tool from the International Student Carbon Footprint Challenge
• Ideas for reducing your impact on a personal level
  • What can we do to help—Suggestions from NASA’s Climate Kids
  • What you can do at Home—Suggestions from EPA (archived)
• Ideas for reducing your school’s impact
  • Cool School Challenge—The National Wildlife Federation challenges schools to become greener
  • What you can do at School – Suggestions from EPA (archived)

Assessment:

• Quantitatively assess the impact of a behavior change
• Share successful changes with others

Planning—Adopt a Wetland

Summary: Students adopt a wetland and collect data to help determine the amount of carbon sequestered by the wetland, and engage in water quality monitoring to promote the efficiency of carbon sequestration.

Concepts to teach:

• Crosscutting Concepts
  • Cause and Effect
• Disciplinary Core Ideas
  • ESS3.C – Human Impacts on Earth Systems
• Science Practices
  • Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Goals:

1. Human actions can affect the health of marine wetland ecosystems
2. Healthy marine wetland ecosystems sequester carbon and help to offset the effects of increased carbon in the atmosphere

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

• MS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

1. Identify a field site that could benefit from habitat assessment and/or restoration
2. Engage in data collection and/or restoration efforts
3. Design a solution for a problem at the field site that is associated with climate change

Activity Links and Resources:

• Reading:
  • B. Chappell, 2013. KLCC article Rate of coastal wetlands loss has sped up, U.S. study says, based on a wetlands report from USFWS and NOAA
• Review the Blue Carbon and the Citizen Biomonitoring topic guides
• Bringing Wetlands to Market curriculum—Activities in this curriculum include adopting a wetland to measure the amount of carbon sequestered, and to promote the efficiency of carbon sequestration through water quality monitoring.
  • Stewardship Projects—Lesson 4.3 provides Ideas for ways students can serve as stewards of a local wetland area.
  • Adopt a Wetland Stewardship Project and Field Study—Students develop their own research question to be answered in the field
  • Field Activity: How much carbon is in the soil?
    • Guidance document: Adopt a Wetland Student-Designed Studies and measuring carbon content in plants
    • Coring for Carbon—In teacher workshops, OCEP used this protocol developed by OIMB’s Craig Cornu to determine the percentage of organic material in salt marsh vs. upland soils. Download the Student worksheet and the Group data spreadsheet used to record sample data and calculate percentages.
• Activity: Wetland Investigations: Hydrology from the SMILE program at Oregon State University. Water quality can affect a wetland’s ability to efficiently sequester carbon.
• Activity: Score One for the Estuaries from NOAA Estuaries Education describes how middle school students can become stewards of estuaries. Includes Climate Extension sections.

Assessment:

• How much carbon is stored in your study site? How did you arrive at this estimate?
• How does the amount of carbon stored in your wetland compare to the amount of carbon stored in a non-wetland area?
• What is the estimated value of the carbon stored in your study site? How did you come to this estimate, what are the limits on the number, and what information do you need to make a more accurate valuation?
• What does the water quality tell you about human impacts on the study site?
• What other benefits and services does your adopted wetland provide?

Impacts—Ocean Acidification

Summary: The ocean is becoming more acidic because of carbon dioxide emissions. The change threatens the health marine organisms that depend on available calcium carbonate to make their shells. In this topic guide, students use models and real data to explore the relationship between atmospheric CO2 and ocean pH, and the impacts that pH changes have on marine organisms.

Concepts to teach:

• Crosscutting Concepts
  • Energy and Matter
• Disciplinary Core Ideas
  • LS2.B – Cycle of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
• Science Practices
  • Developing and using models

Goals:

1. Increased levels of atmospheric CO2 leads to a decrease in ocean pH
2. Ocean acidification leads to decreased amounts of available calcium carbonate that many marine organisms need to make their shells
3. Scientists use data to create models that forecast future conditions

Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations

• MS-LS2-3. Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:

1. Use data to describe the process and driving factor behind ocean acidification
2. Use online tools to recreate climate change model scenarios and examine effects of increased CO2 on ocean acidity and carbonate saturation levels
3. Identify expected future impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms and ecosystems

Activity Links and Resources:

• Changing Ocean Chemistry – Created in 2019, this high school level curriculum focuses on OA’s causes, impacts, and solutions.
• Understanding Ocean Acidification from Data in the Classroom —Revised in 2019, this high school level curriculum uses NOAA data to help students learn about ocean acidification.
  • Level 1 Explore NOAA data to understand patterns and relationships that explain variation in ocean pH
  • Levels 2-4 helps students use NOAA data to explore the impacts of ocean acidification
• The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program has an OA educational resource page that includes  online interactives, lessons for high school students, and a K-5 Project WET booklet.
• Ocean Acidification Lab from WHOI and OA Subcommittee, Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Program—These classroom activities are designed to help students understand the science behind ocean acidification.
  dioxide released from the burning of fossil fuels increases the acidity of the ocean
• Virtual Urchin: Our Acidifying Ocean—With this interactive online laboratory experiment, students discover the effects of acidified sea water on sea urchin larval growth
• Multimedia Resources about Ocean Acidification
  • Ocean Acidification—Short animation from North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher introduces effects of OA on ecological interactions
  • This pH infographic summarizes findings from the Ocean Acidification Summary for Policy Makers 2013
• Activity: Water Properties: pH —This USGS Water Science School page describes how students can collect their own pH data in the field. Visit a marine or aquatic area in your watershed and measure the pH of the water. What equipment will you use? What pH do you expect to find?
  • StreamWebs is a student stewardship online network that provides tutorials and data sheets for measuring DO, access to Vernier equipment, and a platform for sharing and obtaining data throughout the state.

Assessment:

• The Data in the Classroom resource includes assessment components, including
  • Check for Understanding interactive questions at the end of Levels 1, 2, and 4
  • The Teacher Guide contains detailed questioning strategies, student worksheets and answer keys
  • Level 5 in the Data in the Classroom unit challenges students to come up with their own hypothesis about ocean acidification and then look for NOAA data that will support or reject that hypothesis.