JASNEET BAINS
Age 13 | London, ON
Thames Valley Science & Engineering Fair Bronze Metal and Special Award | Cedar Hollow Public High School Science Award
Edited by Harini Aiyer
Global warming and climate change have a big impact on Earth, by leading to more extreme weather events and by rapidly melting glaciers and ice sheets. Few events caused by global warming include, the Earth’s rising surface temperature, flooding, and forest fires. Evidence shows that the industrial revolution has caused a major part of global warming, and that these events are linked to the mass burning of fossil fuels. (Environmental Protection Agency, 2016, December 27). This study explored the impact of melting sea ice on rising sea level. In this project, Jasneet studied two types of ice, land ice and sea ice, to assess which type of ice causes sea levels to rise? In this project, her results support that sea ice is more likely to cause a change in the sea levels when it is melting. There are many ways of decreasing the levels of sea levels, and by doing so we first have to control the global warming rates together as a team.
INTRODUCTION
Glaciers and ice sheets are large masses of ice that sits on the land. Many types of ice contribute to sea-level rise. The melting ice causes the sea level to rise, it makes a big difference on the type of ice it is (NASA, 2021). Think about the types of ice that can be found in nature. There are two types of ice, land ice and sea ice. This science experiment will identify which type of ice causes the sea level to rise more than the other type of ice. There are many different reasons why the sea level is rising. When you visit the beach, you might have noticed the line where the ocean water meets the land. Ocean water never stays at the same level. The waves and the tides cause the sea level to rise and sink all day. You can measure the height of the sea level, and figure out the water’s average, or typical height. The average height of the ocean in the particular place is called the local sea level. However, the world is too big to measure with just a ruler. So, NASA measures the average sea level of the whole ocean from space (NASA,2021).When you measure the sea level from space it is called the Global Sea level. Over the time, scientists have observed that the local sea level keeps rising. The ocean is 7-8 inches higher now, than a century ago [US Department of Commerce, N. O. and A. A. (2008, October 27))]. Why? Because the Earth is getting warmer. How does global warming affect sea levels? A warmer climate can cause the seawater to expand, and ice over the land to melt, these both ways can cause the sea level to rise. The ocean gets warmer due to climate change and global warming. This can cause the seawater to expand, and take up more space in the ocean basin, and cause an increase in the sea level. Sea levels are rising, because melting glaciers that are on the land are adding more water into the ocean. Icebergs and frozen seawater melt in warm temperatures, but this does not cause the sea level to rise [NASA, 2021]. As the planet is getting warmer, the ice melts and flows into the ocean. The more water there is, the more the sea level is increasing. However, that is not the only way sea levels are rising. As the earth warms, the ocean is getting warm too. The water expands as it gets warmer [reference]. Warm water takes up more room in the ocean, which makes the sea level rise. Rising sea levels can also have an impact on how we live, especially how people live near the coast (NASA, 2021). NASA and its partners use the Jason Satellites to measure the global sea level (NASA: Jason 3-Earth Missions, 2021). It takes about 10 days for the satellite to complete one global measurement. After they complete one measurement, they repeat this all over again. The purpose of this project is to figure out which type of ice causes sea levels to rise due to melting ice because of warmer temperatures?
HYPOTHESIS
It was hypothesized that the melting glaciers on land are adding more water into Earth’s Ocean because the volume of the water they displace as ice, and it is the same volume of water they add to the ocean when they melt. Also, I predict that the sea level will not rise when sea ice melts because the icebergs and the frozen seawater also melt in warm temperatures but do not cause the sea ice to melt. This is because they are already in the water.
METHODS
Experimental set-up:
Equal amounts of clay or rocks were pressed onto one side of both plastic containers, it made a smooth, and flat surface that represented land rising out of the ocean. In one container, many cubes of ice were placed on the flat clay or rock surface. This represented land ice. In the other container, place the same number of ice cubes on the bottom of the container, next to the clay. This has represented sea ice. You will have to pour cold water into the sea-ice container until the ice floats. There should be no ice resting on the bottom of the container and that the water isn't higher than the land level. The ice cubes should not be disturbed, and pour water into the land-ice container until the water level is equal to the water level in the sea-ice container.
The independent variable in this experiment was the amount of ice. The amount of ice changed when you have put it on land ice and sea ice. The size of the ice pieces is the independent variable, it changed between the two tests. The dependent variable is the water level height, and the ice cube that was melted. This variable is dependent on the size of the ice pieces. The controlled variable would be the temperature of the room, it stays the same for both of the tests. If the temperature isn’t the same, the experiment’s results will be different.
RESULTS
In the sea ice container, when the ice cubes were melting it was adding a lot of water into the container, and the amount of water in the container was more than the amount of water in the land ice container. As a result of the thermal expansion, and the temperature of the room, the water expands because of the increasing temperatures. The R square value for Sea Ice is 0.862, and the R square for Land Ice is 0.686. Therefore, The Sea Ice increased water level more rapidly than Land Ice.
Figure 1: Change in water level over time as a result of melting land ice (top) or sea ice (bottom).
DISCUSSION
The conclusion from this experiment is that sea ice is causing sea levels to rise. The land ice was not melting as fast as the sea ice. My results did not support my hypothesis that the melting of sea ice causes sea levels to rise. The only way to stop ice from melting and causing sea levels to rise is to minimize Global Warming. To prevent global warming, we can: power our houses with renewable energy, invest in energy efficient appliances, reduce water waste, and buy efficient light bulbs. We should stop deforestation in all forms, we do not need to cut down trees because it will only worsen the level of carbon dioxide in the air. Instead, we should be encouraging people to plant even more trees to create a fine balance in nature.
In future projects, instead of using clay as the flat surface, flat rocks and play-dough can be used, to see if different type of surface will it affect the results. Also, instead of waiting until all the ice melts, I can have an exact time like 1 hour to see which type of ice is causing sea levels to rise.
CONCLUSION
There were three trials, and in conclusion, sea ice is causing sea levels to rise. When the sea ice was melting, more water was being added into the container. When ice sheets and glaciers melt, the water eventually runs into the ocean, which causes sea levels to rise. Icebergs and frozen seawater also melt in warm temperatures but don't cause sea levels to rise. I think that Sea Ice had a bigger effect on the water level because, of the temperature, when the ice will melt the volume of the ice cubes will also decrease as well. In the Sea Ice container, the ice cubes will continuously melt instead of expanding.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to say thank you to the principals at my school, and to the very supportive and kind teachers at Cedar Hollow Public School. I would also, of course, thank my parents for teaching me and getting me involved in science and showing me the path, and introducing me to many opportunities in my life. I will always be grateful for all the teachers of Cedar Hollow, and to my amazing teachers. All of these are my inspiration in my life and my biggest role model. I always would say: “Life is full of opportunities, grab your chance before it is too late.”
REFERENCES
NASA. (2021, August 24). Overview: Weather, Global Warming and climate change. NASA. Retrieved November 20, 2021, from https://climate.nasa.gov/resources/global-warming-vs-climate-change/
July 17, 2017 M. D. (2021, August 9). How you can stop global warming. NRDC. Retrieved November 20, 2021, from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-you-can-stop-global-warming
US Department of Commerce, N. O. and A. A. (2008, October 27). Is sea level rising? NOAA's National Ocean Service. Retrieved November 20, 2021, from https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/sealevel.html.
World Wildlife Fund. (n.d.). Climate. WWF. Retrieved November 20, 2021, from https://www.worldwildlife.org/initiatives/climate.
Unfccc.int. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2021, from https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasneet Bains
I’m Jasneet Bains, and I was a grade 8 student at Cedar Hollow P.S when I was completing this project. I love to learn about the physical and biological aspects of the study of the environment, and finding the solution to our many environmental problems. I want to make a difference in the world to make the world a better place to live in. I love to participate in extracurricular activities, sports, and helping in the community. I am motivated by the thrill of seeing or figuring out something that no one else has before!