Jet Propulsion Laboratory, National Aeronautics Space Administration
This activity allows students to demonstrate the thermal expansion of water for themselves using water bottles and straws. The discussion allows them to explore the connection between this concept and sea level rise due to climate change.
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Preparing materials in advance would save instructional time and minimize safety issues.
Try the model first with materials on hand for an idea of how long the activity will take.
This activity fits well with accompanying lessons for more complete picture of sea-level rise.
An important part of understanding sea-level rise is understanding thermal expansion of water.
Students build a model using everyday items to demonstrate that water expands when heat energy is added.
The background information section includes graphs of NASA satellite data for Sea Level and Global Temperatures, as well as links to these data sets. There are also links to two related activities/lessons (Graphing Sea Level Trends and What's Causing Sea Level Rise? Land Ice vs Sea Ice) for a more complete picture of sea-level rise.
Comments from expert scientist:
Scientific strengths: The resource clearly explains the two main drivers of sea level rise: 1. Thermal expansion and 2. Ice Melting. This resource also quickly and clearly explains the greenhouse effect.
Concern: The satellite data would not load for me.
Students will build a model using everyday items to demonstrate that water expands when heat energy is added.
This is a good lab-based activity that can be done in groups or individually.
The discussion allows students to consider the connections between the experiment and sea level rise due to climate change.
Standards are stated.
The assessment questions require understanding other aspects of sea level rise that can be found in extension activity (What's Causing Sea Level Rise? Land Ice vs Sea Ice).
The cutting and glueing of the straw may be difficult for some students, depending on grade level and other abilities. Teachers may want to prepare the water bottles in advance of the experiment.
Getting the materials ready in advance would take some prep time, but would minimize instructional time spent on this and avoid safety issues associated with students using cutting tools and glue guns.
