This interactive map illustrates sea level trends over time, using arrows to show rising and falling sea level in various places.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This interactive may be a good way to bring multiple disciplines together in an Earth systems approach.
Students can investigate the role of plate tectonics, sedimentation, and past sea level trends.
Additional Prerequisites
Students would benefit from having some background in the role that plate tectonics and regional glaciation have in changing the vertical position of land.
Maps can also be viewed in Google Earth, but students will need to know how to do this and have access to it.
Differentiation
If the interactive map will not open use this link.
Science and math students can investigate sea level changes around the U.S. and others worldwide using the interactive map interface with supporting data plots and tables.
The site provides a detailed explanation of the causes of sea level change, why understanding this is important, and the relationship to climate. Connect this to social studies lessons about how major cities and communities may be impacted by sea level rise.
To extend this lesson, consider using this article or video about climate migrations to connect the effects of sea level rise with communities and then use this lesson from MIT about sea level rise to complete the lesson with other activities.
Scientist Notes
This resource is a highly interactive map plotting sea level trends across the globe with data stretching back over a century. Individual monitoring stations can be selected and their specific data examined. Additional tabs and resources provide additional maps, time series, and information. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-5 Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
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.
