The public presentation by six year 10 pupils from King's High School and Bayfield High School was the result of their a five-week What Lies Beneath project.
Core samples were taken from the schools' grounds during the investigation.
The project, which involved experts from the Otago Regional Council, the New Zealand International Science Festival, the University of Otago and GNS Science, was the first high school pupil-driven Dunedin flood investigation.
Bayfield pupil Holly Taylor (14) said most parts of South Dunedin were 1.5m above sea level, and because of the compression of sediment levels the area was sinking at a rate of 1mm a year.
Piezometer monitoring systems, powered by solar panels, were installed in bores at both schools and would provide real time data to the Otago Regional Council on the temperature, conductivity and the height of the water table below both school grounds.
The new bores joined four existing bores.
King's High School pupils discussed the role of ground water levels as an indicator of climate change and the rate at which it was occurring.
The project had shown action could be taken to slow sea level rise in South Dunedin, but not prevent it, the group said.
Principal scientist at GNS Science Dr Simon Cox said South Dunedin's land could be as young as 20,000 years old, making it among the youngest in New Zealand.
Unique challenges were posed by the low-lying geologically young land and it was important young members of a ''city of thinkers'' were involved with the issue, he said.
''It is this generation that will make the decision about whether Dunedin will survive in the state that it is in or whether big changes will need to happen.''
It was important youth were equipped not only with scientific knowledge about sea level rise, but also the social consequence of it.
Dr Cox implored people at the presentation at King's High school to talk to their children about how decisions would be made in the future about adapting so a community could remain in South Dunedin or retreating to higher land.
