Sea Level Rise and Polar Ice Melt
Summary
Anthropogenic greehouse gas emissions are leading to sea level rise and flooding in
coastal cities. In this module, students will learn about the role of melting polar ice in
sea level rise. They will explore different sea level rise scenarios and how they
connect to different greenhouse gas emission pathways. Finally, they calculate the
damages of sea level rise in a coastal city and compare to the cost of building a
sea wall and draft a memo with their recommendations to the city council.
Developed by Lea Fortman and Penny Rowe.
Learning Goals
Context for Use. These modules were adapted from college-level modules that were designed to be taught in a classroom setting. They have been adapted for the High School level and redesigned so they can be taught in a virtual classroom setting during the COVID-19 school closures. The college-level modules have been successfully taught in a number of Economics and Science and Economics of Climate-Change course. The High School module presented here will be taught in a virtual classroom during April/May 2020 and revised based on feedback. The module is meant to be flexible, allowing the instructor to choose how deeply to go into material and making it easy to skip sections or make parts optional if desired. It can also be taught in a classroom setting when schools reopen. Students must have a computer or device with Excel or similar spreadsheet program as well as access to the internet. A notebook may be desired for students to record answers to Pause for Analysis and Discussion questions, and for drafting a memo in the concluding assignment. If taught in a classroom setting, students may work at computers in pairs. The school must allow access to the websites used in the module.
Teaching Materials
Teaching Guide, Keys, and Assessment
Supporting materials (In case they are moved or removed online)
References
Copyright 2020 by Dr. Penny Rowe and NorthWest Research Associates. Includes material developed by others, as noted within.