What Is Sea Level Rise?
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Provided by: Probable Futures|Published on: April 11, 2025
Articles/WebsitesScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this article from Probable Futures, students will learn how climate change leads to sea level rise and why this is important.
- Students will also learn how sea level rise is measured and how much sea levels are predicted to rise in the future.
Subjects: Physics, Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: Probable Futures
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Graphics and data visualizations help students understand the text in the article.
- The article organizes its content under different questions related to sea level rise, making it easy for students to find the information they are looking for.
Prerequisites
- Students should understand climate change and that temperatures are rising.
- Students may benefit from having an understanding of thermal expansion and the hydrosphere.
Differentiation & Implementation
- In the section about why sea level rise matters, the article references the types of risks associated with sea level rise. Teachers may want to pair this article with What Is Climate Risk?, which defines climate risk and explains the types.
- After reading this article, teachers can implement hands-on activities, such as Thermal Expansion of Water and Temperature, Salinity, and Water Density Activity, to gain a better understanding of how climate change impacts sea level rise.
- After reading this article, students can evaluate existing solutions to sea level rise or design their own.
This resource clearly ties together sea level rise, thermal expansion, ice melt, and climate change. A common misconception is addressed, namely, that global sea level rise is a minor issue given its seemingly small magnitude (10.1 cm from 1993-2023). This resource stays focused on the impacts of sea level rise for all, regardless of location, and is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
Probable Futures
Probable Futures offers useful tools and maps to visualize climate change along with stories and insights to help people understand what those changes mean.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
