Title: 
Headings: Thermal Expansion and Sea Level Rise
Thermal
 
Expansion
 
and
 
Sea
 
Level
 
Rise
 

Activity
 
Summary:

Related
 
sites
 
with
 
further
 
classroom
 
applications
 

News
 
/
 
Press
   

Agency
 
reports
 
with
 
reputable
 
graphics
 
and
 
background
 
information
 


Content: Thermal
 
expansion
 
and
 
glacial
 
melt
 
will
 
have
 
a
 
greater
 
contribution
 
and
 
lasting
 
effect
 
on
 
sea
 
level. Coastal
 
erosion
 
is
 
an
 
unusual
 
process. Erosion
 
is
 
an
 
integral
 
part
 
of
 
natural
 
coastal
 
processes
 
which
 
have
 
formed
 
beaches
 
and
 
shorelines
 
and
 
which
 
maintain
 
them
 
in
 
a
 
condition
 
we
 
can
 
all
 
enjoy. However,
 
an
 
increase
 
in
 
sea
 
level
 
will
 
exacerbate
 
coastal
 
erosion,
 
particularly
 
during
 
large
 
storm
 
events,
 
by
 
increasing
 
the
 
vulnerability
 
of
 
coastal
 
areas. Background
  
(from
 
the
 
Water
 
Encyclopedia
 
http://www.waterencyclopedia.com
 
)
 
Sea
 
level
 
is
 
the
 
level
 
of
 
the
 
sea
 
after
 
averaging
 
out
 
the
 
short-term
 
variations
 
due
 
to
 
wind
 
waves. Regional,
 
short-term
 
sea
 
level
 
is
 
constantly
 
fluctuating
 
due
 
to
 
tidal
 
and
 
wind-driven
 
effects
 
on
 
the
 
ocean. Global
 
sea
 
level
 
has
 
fluctuated
 
throughout
 
Earth's
 
history. These
 
long-term,
 
widespread
 
changes
 
in
 
the
 
mean
 
sea
 
level
 
are
 
known
 
as
 
eustatic
 
sea
 
level
 
changes. Over
 
the
 
twentieth
 
century,
 
global
 
sea
 
level
 
has
 
risen
 
on
 
the
 
average
 
of
 
2.0
 
millimeters
 
(0.08
 
inches)
 
per
 
year
 
for
 
a
 
total
 
of
 
10
 
to
 
25
 
centimeters
 
(3.9
 
to
 
9.8
 
inches). According
 
to
 
a
 
recent
 
Environmental
 
Protection
 
Agency
 
study,
 
it
 
is
 
expected
 
to
 
rise
 
at
 
least
 
another
 
20
 
centimeters
 
(7.8
 
inches)
 
by
 
2100.