NASA's Sea Level Team at 10 Years: New Challenges, New Colleagues

The question: How can the NASA Sea Level Change Team (N-SLCT) improve on its efforts to make scientific information more useful to coastal managers and the public?

The answer: On its 10^th anniversary, the NASA Sea Level Change Team convened at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, New York on Sept. 10. Discussions evolved around further connecting science to stakeholders, while the team welcomed its newest members, joining more than 60 scientists representing a variety of institutions.

During the meeting, the team brainstormed three major goals. Discussion of the first priority – “Research and Innovation” – included ways to gain even deeper insights into the intricate processes driving sea level rise. The goal of “Integration” was to improve on making the raw information more useful for coastal planners. Lastly, “Earth Action and Outreach,” centered on better ways to bring the team’s work to the public through the NASA Sea Level Portal.

The team will embark on 14 new research projects on topics ranging from using machine learning in climate models to refining understanding of melting glaciers. During the next four years, these projects will receive over $11 million in funding and will be headed by new as well as longtime members of the science team.

“Having been part of N-SLCT from its beginning in 2014, I’m excited to have supported its mission to provide cutting-edge interdisciplinary science and actionable information through our work on the NASA Sea Level Web Portal,” said oceanographer Carmen Blackwood, one of the team's principal investigators. “Connecting science and decision-makers is highly critical for providing solutions for the future of our planet.”

Why it’s important: The NASA Sea Level Change Team continues searching for new ways to help coastal communities prepare for sea level rise, while bringing the latest sea level science to the public.

“Sea level is a team sport and NASA scored with the best players on the planet,” said Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, who directs the N-SLCT as well as the agency’s broader Ocean Physics program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. “Happy Birthday, N-SLCT!”

Over the past 10 years, the team has created interactive online tools, such as the Flooding Analysis Tool for projecting high-tide flooding in coastal regions and the IPCC AR6 Sea Level Projection Tool for coastal planners to see the effect of sea level rise on their communities.

The team’s outreach efforts include supporting a United Nations Initiative to address sea level rise among Pacific Island Nations and bringing their data to more users through spaces like NASA’s UNBOUND Workshop.