BM2 Science 6th Grade 1415

Transcription

1 BM2 Science 6th Grade 1415 Student Name: Student ID: Date: Rising Sea Level Figure 1: Extreme flooding in Venice, Italy in That is crazy, remarked Cesar. Look at how high the water is. It must have been a really big storm. Actually, I heard that sea levels are rising everywhere, replied Alicia. My uncle said that New York City may end up completely under water. The students do some research, and find the following information and graph. When sea levels rise rapidly, as they have been doing, even a small increase can have devastating effects on coastal habitats. As seawater reaches farther inland, it can cause destructive erosion, flooding of wetlands, contamination of aquifers and agricultural soils, and lost habitat for fish, birds, and plants. When large storms hit land, higher sea levels mean bigger, more powerful storm surges that can strip away everything in their path. In addition, hundreds of millions of people live in areas that will become increasingly in danger of flooding. Higher sea levels would force them to abandon their homes and relocate. Low lying islands could be submerged completely. Figure 2: Annual sea level change as measured by coastal tide gauge records, Please use this passage to answer question 1 1/11

2 1 According to the graph, how has sea level changed since 1870? A) Sea level has increased over time. B) Sea level has decreased over time. C) Sea level has remained unchanged over time. D) Sea level increased until 1930 and then decreased. Rising Sea Level Figure 1: Extreme flooding in Venice, Italy in That is crazy, remarked Cesar. Look at how high the water is. It must have been a really big storm. Actually, I heard that sea levels are rising everywhere, replied Alicia. My uncle said that New York City may end up completely under water. The students do some research, and find the following information and graph. When sea levels rise rapidly, as they have been doing, even a small increase can have devastating effects on coastal habitats. As seawater reaches farther inland, it can cause destructive erosion, flooding of wetlands, contamination of aquifers and agricultural soils, and lost habitat for fish, birds, and plants. When large storms hit land, higher sea levels mean bigger, more powerful storm surges that can strip away everything in their path. In addition, hundreds of millions of people live in areas that will become increasingly in danger of flooding. Higher sea levels would force them to abandon their homes and relocate. Low lying islands could be submerged completely. Figure 2: Annual sea level change as measured by coastal tide gauge records, Please use this passage to answer question 2 2/11

3 2 Approximately how much did the sea level increase between 1870 and 1990? A) Decreased by 175 mm B) Decreased by 200 mm C) Increased by 175 mm D) Increased by 200 mm Rising Sea Level Figure 1: Extreme flooding in Venice, Italy in That is crazy, remarked Cesar. Look at how high the water is. It must have been a really big storm. Actually, I heard that sea levels are rising everywhere, replied Alicia. My uncle said that New York City may end up completely under water. The students do some research, and find the following information and graph. When sea levels rise rapidly, as they have been doing, even a small increase can have devastating effects on coastal habitats. As seawater reaches farther inland, it can cause destructive erosion, flooding of wetlands, contamination of aquifers and agricultural soils, and lost habitat for fish, birds, and plants. When large storms hit land, higher sea levels mean bigger, more powerful storm surges that can strip away everything in their path. In addition, hundreds of millions of people live in areas that will become increasingly in danger of flooding. Higher sea levels would force them to abandon their homes and relocate. Low lying islands could be submerged completely. Figure 2: Annual sea level change as measured by coastal tide gauge records, Please use this passage to answer question 3 3/11

4 3 According to the text, which of the following is NOT a likely effect of rising sea levels? A) erosion B) destruction of homes and cities C) larger supply of drinking water D) damage to crops Average Global Temperature I wonder what has caused this increase in sea levels, asked Alicia. Is there just a lot more water on Earth now? No! exclaimed Cesar. We learned in our science class that the amount of water on Earth is not changing. It just moves through the water cycle. I think it must be global warming. When the students look up information on global warming, they find the following graph showing average global temperatures over time. Figure 3: Average global surface temperature, Please use this passage to answer question 4 4 According to the graph, what was the average global temperature in 1880? A) C B) C C) C D) C 4/11

5 Average Global Temperature I wonder what has caused this increase in sea levels, asked Alicia. Is there just a lot more water on Earth now? No! exclaimed Cesar. We learned in our science class that the amount of water on Earth is not changing. It just moves through the water cycle. I think it must be global warming. When the students look up information on global warming, they find the following graph showing average global temperatures over time. Figure 3: Average global surface temperature, Please use this passage to answer question 5 5 By approximately how many degrees has the average global temperature changed from 1880 to 2009? A) It has increased by about 14 C. B) It has increased by about 13 C. C) It had increased by about 1 C. D) It has decreased by about 14 C. 5/11

6 Sea Level and Average Global Temperature Figure 2: Annual sea level change as measured by coastal tide gauge records, Figure 3: Average global surface temperature, Please use this passage to answer question 6 6/11

7 6 Based on the data, how are sea level change and average global surface temperature related? Be sure to cite specific evidence from both graphs to support your answer. Your response should be no longer than 300 words long. Causes of Rising Sea Level Well that make sense, remarked Alicia. As the global temperature got warmer, it must have caused the ice and glaciers to melt more than usual. If more ice melted, there would be more liquid water in the oceans which would cause the sea level to rise higher on land. That makes sense. Look at this article, added Cesar. The rise in sea levels is linked to three primary factors, all induced by this ongoing global climate change: Thermal expansion: When water heats up, it expands. About half of the past century's rise in sea level is a result of warmer oceans simply occupying more space. Melting of glaciers and polar ice caps: Large ice formations, like glaciers and the polar ice caps, naturally melt back a bit each summer. Recently, though, persistently higher temperatures caused by global warming have led to greater than average summer melting as well as decreased snowfall due to later winters and earlier springs. This imbalance causes sea levels to rise. Ice loss from Greenland and West Antarctica: As with glaciers and the ice caps, increased heat is causing the massive ice sheets that cover Greenland and Antarctica to melt at an accelerated pace. Moreover, higher sea temperatures are causing the massive ice shelves that extend out from Antarctica to melt from below, weaken, and break off. Please use this passage to answer question 7 7/11

8 7 In addition to melting ice, how do increasing global temperatures cause the sea level to rise? A) Rising temperatures cause more rain, which causes sea levels to rise. B) Rising temperatures cause the water in the ocean to expand, which causes sea levels to rise. C) Rising temperatures cause animals to sweat more, which causes sea levels to rise. D) Rising temperatures cause wastewater plants to overflow, which causes sea levels to rise. The Greenhouse Effect Cesar asked, I wonder what is causing the temperatures to rise? Here is an article that talks about that, replied Alicia. Most climate scientists agree the main cause of the current global warming trend is human expansion of the "greenhouse effect" warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space. Certain gases in the atmosphere block heat from escaping. Gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect include water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane, and nitrous oxide. Below is a graph that shows how the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has changed over time. Figure 4: Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, Please use this passage to answer question 8 8 Which of the following best describes the relationship between the greenhouse effect and global warming? A) The greenhouse effect and global warming are the same thing. B) An increase in the greenhouse effect may be causing global warming. C) Global warming may be causing an increase in the greenhouse effect. D) The greenhouse effect and global warming are unrelated. 8/11

9 The Greenhouse Effect Cesar asked, I wonder what is causing the temperatures to rise? Here is an article that talks about that, replied Alicia. Most climate scientists agree the main cause of the current global warming trend is human expansion of the "greenhouse effect" warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space. Certain gases in the atmosphere block heat from escaping. Gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect include water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane, and nitrous oxide. Below is a graph that shows how the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has changed over time. Figure 4: Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, Please use this passage to answer question 9 9 Scientists have proposed that the burning of fossil fuels increases the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the atmosphere. Which of the following is predicted to occur if the concentration of CO 2 continues to rise? A) Earth s surface will have increased exposure to ultraviolet rays. B) The average annual surface temperature will increase. C) Animals will be harmed by breathing the higher levels of CO 2. D) The ozone layer will disappear. 9/11

10 Sea Level and Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Figure 2: Annual sea level change as measured by coastal tide gauge records, Figure 3: Average global surface temperature, Figure 4: Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, Please use this passage to answer question /11

11 10 Based on the data how is the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere related to the rise in sea level? Be sure to cite specific evidence and data to support your claim and explain your reasoning. Your response should be no longer than 300 words long. 11/11