Sea Level Rise

Since 1880, global mean sea level has risen by 8-9 inches (21-24 centimeters) . This rise is mainly attributed to two outcomes of global warming: the melting of glaciers and ice sheets, and ocean expansion due to increasing ocean temperatures. Rising sea levels threaten personal property and infrastructure of coastal cities and towns as well as coastal ecosystems. It also worsens the devastation of natural disasters like hurricanes and tsunamis, which can reach farther inland. Average sea level rise in the U.S. is projected to be 7.2 feet (2.2 meters) by 2100, and 13 feet (3.9 meters) by 2150 with current global temperature and glacial retreat models .

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, Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry / Sea Level Rise

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in collaboration with The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has developed several satellites to measure global sea levels, including TOPEX/Poseidon and the Jason satellite series: Jason-1, Jason-2, and Jason-3. These satellites have monitored the same areas since 1992, and the data from NOAA’s Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry provide insight into historical trends of sea level rise. In this dataset, the difference in mean sea level from each satellite is provided from 1992 to 2022.

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This scatterplot shows the global mean sea level measurements collected by NASA’s satellites TOPEX/Poseidon and the Jason series. There is an evident upward trend in these measurements, with sea levels having risen about 100 mm since 1992.

Sample Data

Sea level measurements obtained by NASA satellites

year	TOPEX/Poseidon	Jason-1	Jason-2	Jason-3
2002	10.57
2002.027	7.27
2002.054		0.47