How Do Melting Polar Ice Caps Affect Sea Levels?

Introduction

Have you ever noticed that if you leave an ice cube out on the kitchen counter and come back to check on it in a while, you find a puddle? The same thing happens to ice in nature — if the temperature gets warm enough, the ice melts. In this science activity, you will explore what happens to sea levels if the ice at the North Pole melts, or if the ice at the South Pole melts. Does melting ice at either cap contribute to a rise in sea levels? It is an especially important question for the millions of people who enjoy living along the coasts of the world.

Credits

Materials

• Play-Doh® or modeling clay
• Measuring cup
• Butter knife
• Clear plastic or glass containers, approximately 2 ¼ cups in size (2). Smaller or larger containers can be used, if they are both the same size, but you will need to scale up or down the amount of dough you add to the containers. Since you will be marking these containers with a permanent marker, make sure they are containers you are allowed to mark.
• Colored tape or permanent marker (if you do not mind marking your containers with marker)
• Tap water
• Ice cubes