Graphing the Thermal Expansion

of Water
Background
Global warming is essential and real: without it we would not
exist. Sunlight enters and is trapped inside the Earth's
atmosphere where it is converted to heat, which cannot leave.
This keeps the planet warm enough for life. But human activities
are seriously overwhelming the natural global warming
phenomenon, leading to profound changes in the climate of the
Earth.

INVESTIGATION: Thermal expansion of water and its impact on the planet Earth
Objective
Observe the effect of temperature increase on water level - thermal expansion.
Significance
If global temperatures increase, many scientists have indicated that an increase in sea level is the most likely
secondary effect. Two factors will contribute to this accelerated rise in sea level:
1. First, although the oceans have an enormous heat storage capacity, if global atmospheric temperatures
rise, the oceans will absorb heat and expand ("thermal expansion") leading to a rise in sea level.
2. Second, warmer temperatures will cause ice currently locked up in glaciers and snowfields on land to
melt, thereby increasing the amount of water in the oceans.
An accelerated rise in sea level would inundate coastal lowlands, increase the rate of shoreline erosion,
exacerbate coastal flooding, raise water tables, threaten coastal structures, and increase the salinity of rivers,
bays, and aquifers.
Investigate/Explain
Base your investigation set-up on the following YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=IHhvaUdWfDI
Design and modify your apparatus so that:
the water container (flask or bottle) will be airtight
you will be able to heat the water, using the light bulb
you will be able to see and measure the expansion of the water

Materials: (for each group)

-container: conical flask or transparent 750ml juice bottle - to hold water
-cork stopper or bottle lid - to hold thermometer and thin glass tube or straw
-plasticine or vaseline - to make the flask or bottle airtight
-strong light bulb - source of heat
-thin glass tube or thin, transparent drinking straw- to measure water
expansion
-dye or food colouring - to make the water more visible
-thermometer - to measure the increase in water temperature

10mo Liceo Campoverde October 2016

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Procedure:
Completely fill the container with very cold water. To improve visibility, dye or food colouring
can be added.
Place the cork or lid in the container. Slide the thermometer and glass tube (or straw) into the
holes in the cork and use plasticine to make sure no air can enter. The water should rise a short
way into the glass tube or straw
Fix the strip of graph paper to the glass tube or straw, in order to make a scale from which you
can take readings.
Record both the temperature of the water and the water level in the tube.
Write a prediction of what will happen to the water level when the container is exposed to
heat and explain the prediction you make.
Place the lamp over or beside the container. Turn on the lamp and record the temperature and
height of the water every 2 minutes.

Processing and Analysing results:

1.
Make a graph of the results obtained in this thermal expansion investigation.
2.
Summarize the results of the lab
3.
Relate the results to the problems of global warming and sea level rise.

Discussion:
Why did the level of water in the flask change? This is the important biochemistry question
what are the physical properties of water which lead to its thermal expansion?
What does this experiment suggest might occur if the oceans warm? Consider the possible
impacts of sea-level rise in low-lying coastal areas such as Bangladesh or South Florida or
Rotterdam or Guayaquil
If global warming is not sufficient to cause significant snow and ice melt, would you expect
this thermal expansion to be enough to cause coastal flooding and erosion problems?
Which would you expect to have a greater effect on sea level the melting of Arctic sea-ice,
the Greenland ice cap, or ice sheets in the Antarctic? (This is a bit of a trick question: the melting
of sea-ice has no effect on sea levels, except in "uncorking" glaciers and ice streams which then
can flow more easily down into the ocean. It's dynamic ice sheets such as that in Greenland and in
West Antarctica that could, potentially, have a major impact on sea level. East Antarctica, for now,
seems relatively stable, and actually seems to be gaining ice.)

John Osborne
September 2016

10mo Liceo Campoverde October 2016