Rising sea level

Coastal Climate Science Activities and Experiments

Environmental Explainers:

Rising sea level

What is it? How is it changing? Why does it matter?

Start here:

Video (< 2 min) explains how the warming climate is causing the sea level to rise and why it is rising different amounts in different places. NASA "Ask a scientist"

Recommend for middle school and up.

www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level

Article explains sea level rise: how much, why it matters, what is causing it.

Recommend for middle school and up.

Climate Change Indicators: Sea Level | US EPA

Short article with infographics for absolute and relative sea level rise. Make sure to click on both the figures at the top of the page.

Recommend for high school and up.

NASA Analysis Shows Unexpected Amount of Sea Level Rise in 2024A NASA analysis shows global sea level rose faster than expected in 2024.

Learn more:

National Sea Level Explorer – U.S. Sea Level ChangeA federally-supported interactive data explorer and map to understand past, present, and future sea level rise and related flood impacts for the coastlines of the United States.

Recommend for high school and up.

The Basics | Local Sea Level Change – U.S. Sea Level ChangeHow sea levels are changing depends on where you are located. Factors affecting local sea levels include changes in land height and ocean currents.

Recommend for high school and up.

We’d love to hear how you used this tool in your community, how the students responded, and your suggestions to improve the experiments and other resources. Contact us at ccsae@mit.edu.