Melting Polar Ice Caps

Rising Sea Levels

What is causing the glaciers to shrink?The sea levels are rising due to our glaciers shrinking and our ice melting. The ice is melting as a result of climate change and global warming. Global warming and the rising temperatures of the earth's atmosphere is occurring because of the burning of fossil fuels, caused by using cars, planes, and electricity. The carbon dioxide acts a layer of insulation, just like a greenhouse, which then causes the rising of temperatures, and the melting of the ice.

Melting Polar Ice Caps

Assessing the impact

When the polar ice caps melt, sea levels are rising all over the world, in particular in the Arctic and Antarctic. The rising sea levels result in a risk of flooding for towns and cities situated on the coast or located on a flood plain.

See attachment for Melting Ice experiment instructions =>

A melting glacier. Imagine obtained from: http://www.climate-change-guide.com/melting-polar-ice-caps.html

A trapped polar bear. Image obtained from http://www.climate-change-guide.com/melting-polar-ice-caps.html

Global warming could result in the ice shelves melting, and therefore the ice sheets underneath becoming warmer and melting as well. This would increase sea levels in the ocean. Image obtained from http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/PolarIce/polar_ice2.php