Climate change and sea levels in the South Pacific Teacher's Notes Case Study Student Activities Overview Scientists have predicted that an increase in sea level is one of the likely consequences of climate change associated with the enhanced greenhouse effect. In the South Pacific, there are many low-lying islands which could be threatened by increases in sea levels. Australia has established a series of sea level monitoring stations in the South Pacific to help the Pacific Island countries and their governments gain important information on the scale and implications of changing sea levels and climate. Level Year 12 Links Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Environmental Science Environmental Science Unit 3: Ecological issues: energy and biodiversity Area of study 1: Energy and global warming greenhouse effect: natural and enhanced impacts of the enhanced greenhouse effect Area of study 2: Diversity in the biosphere threats to biodiversity including habitat modification and destruction Objectives Students will: distinguish between the greenhouse effect and the enhanced greenhouse effect learn about sea level change, one of the impacts of the enhanced greenhouse effect examine the problems of monitoring sea level changes analyse the data collected to date on sea level change investigate how climate change can lead to an increase in sea level changes examine the impact of sea level rises on biodiversity Preparation You will need to provide your students with the following materials: a copy of the case study and student activities access to regional climate change predictions from a textbook or CSIRO website access to an atlas acess to a laboratory and the equipment required for the sea level experiments information on or access to mangroves Procedure Students can work through the student activities alone, in pairs or as a whole class. This should help them develop the following Key Knowledge and Key Skills outcomes of the two areas of study. Key Knowledge greenhouse effect: natural and enhanced major human intervention in the biosphere contributing to the enhanced greenhouse effect, including fossil fuel use and landuse changes impacts of the enhanced greenhouse effect threats to biodiversity including habitat modification and destruction Key Skills distinguish between natural and enhanced greenhouse effect identify how the use of energy resources contributes to the enhanced greenhouse effect describe and analyse major human intervention in the biosphere contributing to the enhanced greenhouse effect identify and describe the types of biodiversity collect fieldwork and/or practical work data to assess the biodiversity of an area identify and examine the threats to biodiversity Resources Books Australian Greenhouse Office, 1998, The National Greenhouse Strategy: Strategic Framework for Advancing Australia's Greenhouse Response, Australian Greenhouse Office, Canberra. Environment Australia, 1997, Climate Change. Australia's Second National Report under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Environment Australia, Canberra. Victorian Association for Environmental Education, Duke, G., Preuss, P. and Rogers, J., 1998, A Sustainable Earth, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne. Victorian Association for Environmental Education, 2001, Student guide to VCE Environmental Science Units 3 and 4, Victorian Association for Environmental Education, Melbourne. Websites Australian Greenhouse Office http://www.greenhouse.gov.au Climate Action Network Australia http://www.climateaustralia.org CSIRO http://www.csiro.au Environment Australia http://www.environment.gov.au National Tidal Facility http://www.ntf.flinders.edu.au The Australian Overseas Aid Program and the Challenge of Global Warming http://www.ausaid.gov.au/ publications/pdf/globalwarming2000.pdf   Top © Commonwealth of Australia