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Understanding Sea Level

  • Overview
  • Global Sea Level
  • Regional Sea Level
  • By the Numbers
  • Key Indicators
Introduction

Earth’s seas are rising, a direct result of a changing climate. Ocean temperatures are increasing, leading to ocean expansion. And as ice sheets and glaciers melt, they add more water. The globally averaged trend toward rising sea levels masks deeper complexities. Regional effects cause sea levels to increase on some parts of the planet, decrease on others, and even to remain relatively flat in a few places. An armada of increasingly sophisticated instruments, deployed across the oceans, on polar ice and in orbit, reveals significant changes among globally interlocking factors that are driving sea levels higher. In these sections, descriptions of the processes causing global and regional sea-level change are provided and connected to the observing tools used to study them.

Rising Waters: How NASA is Monitoring Sea Level Rise

Contributing Factors

Contributing Factors

Global Sea Level

Global Sea Level

Explore the main causes: ice melt and heat-driven expansion of ocean water
more

Regional Sea Level

Regional Sea Level

Sea level varies by region in response to many factors, from gravity to land motion to rainfall
more

Global Sea Level

Explore the main causes: ice melt and heat-driven expansion of ocean water
more

Regional Sea Level

Sea level varies by region in response to many factors, from gravity to land motion to rainfall
more
Sunset
The Shackleton Range in Antarctica at sunset with snow blowing off the ridges, photographed during an Operation IceBridge flight on Oct. 10, 2018. Credit: NASA/Michael Studinger
  • ice and water
    By the Numbers
    Track estimates in millimeters per year for sea level rise, ice loss, ocean expansion and water storage, by time period.

    read more ›


  • heat map
    Key Indicators
    Chart the changes in Earth’s water and ice that most clearly reveal global sea level rise.

    read more ›

Top Stories

Kelvin waves, a potential precursor of El Niño conditions in the ocean, are rolling across the equatorial Pacific toward the coast of South America.
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International Sea Level Satellite Spots Early Signs of El Niño
International Sea Level Satellite Spots Early Signs of El Niño
Floating sea ice seems to have a small effect on sea level.
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Melting Ocean Ice Affects Sea Level – Unlike Ice Cubes in a Glass
Melting Ocean Ice Affects Sea Level – Unlike Ice Cubes in a Glass
Sea level science team reveals complex, interlocking causes behind "nuisance" flooding events.
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NASA Project Shows Hidden Factors Shape Minor Coastal Floods
NASA Project Shows Hidden Factors Shape Minor Coastal Floods
The first views from SWOT show the ocean, lakes and rivers in unprecedented detail.
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Joint NASA, CNES Water-Tracking Satellite Reveals First Stunning Views
Joint NASA, CNES Water-Tracking Satellite Reveals First Stunning Views
Three decades of climate satellite observations helps researchers understand the drivers of sea level rise.
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NASA Uses 30-Year Satellite Record to Track and Project Rising Seas
NASA Uses 30-Year Satellite Record to Track and Project Rising Seas
View and analyze projections of high-tide flooding frequency in coming decades for coastal locations around the U.S.
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Flooding Analysis Tool
Flooding Analysis Tool

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News & Features

    • Sea Level News
    • Scientist Interviews
    • News Briefs

Understanding Sea Level

    • Overview
    • Global Sea Level
    • Regional Sea Level
    • By the Numbers
    • Key Indicators

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    • Projects
    • Team Members
    • Presentations

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