FACTivity – Mangrove Mania

All the world’s ice can be divided into two types: sea ice (icebergs) and sheet ice (ice on land). Although both types of ice are at risk of melting if the average global temperature of the Earth increases, they have very different effects on the global sea level.

In this activity, you will investigate what effect land ice will have on sea level. The activity also includes an extension where students will compare this experiment to the melting of a glacier.

Materials needed:

• Glass baking dish
• Small piece of plywood
• Ruler
• Ice cubes
• Water
• Small container of Play-Doh or similar modeling clay
• Permanent or dry erase marker
• Blue food coloring
• Masking tape (optional)