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: Most
 
experts
 
agree
 
that
 
human-induced
 
global
 
warming
 
is
 
the
 
force
 
behind
 
the
 
current
 
global
 
sea-level
 
rise. Causes
 
of
 
Eustatic
 
Variations
 
Eustatic
 
variations
 
in
 
sea
 
level
 
are
 
the
 
effects
 
of
 
external
 
forces. There
 
are
 
three
 
eustatic
 
factors
 
that
 
contribute
 
to
 
sea
 
level
 
rise: Regional
 
subsidence
 
and
 
land
 
movements
 
including,
 
tectonic
 
displacements; Thermal
 
expansion
 
of
 
the
 
water
 
in
 
the
 
ocean; and
 


  
Exchange
 
of
 
water
 
stored
 
on
 
land
 
by
 
glaciers
 
and
 
ice
 
sheets. As
 
the
 
global
 
climate
 
warms,
 
the
 
average
 
level
 
of
 
the
 
ocean
 
is
 
gradually
 
increasing,
 
because
 
warmer
 
water
 
occupies
 
a
 
greater
 
volume. The
 
warmer
 
climate
 
also
 
is
 
causing
 
the
 
melting
 
of
 
mountain
 
and
 
nonpolar
 
glaciers,
 
which
 
adds
 
volume
 
to
 
the
 
oceans. Impacts
 
of
 
Rising
 
Sea
 
Level
 
Rising
 
sea
 
level
 
has
 
many
 
impacts
 
on
 
coastal
 
areas. Although
 
an
 
increase
 
in
 
sea
 
level
 
will
 
not
 
necessarily
 
affect
 
the
 
intensity
 
of
 
storms,
 
such
 
as
 
hurricanes,
 
it
 
does
 
increase
 
the
 
vulnerability
 
of
 
coastal
 
areas
 
to
 
severe
 
storms.