15 Apr 2025

NASA reveals "unexpected" findings about global sea level rise

Tired Earth

By The Editorial Board

A new study has raised concerns due to the risks associated with rising sea levels.

An analysis by the U.S. space agency NASA found that last year saw an unexpected increase in global sea levels.

According to the NASA report, the rate of sea level rise in 2024 reached 0.23 inches (0.59 centimeters) per year — higher than the projected rate of 0.17 inches (0.43 centimeters) annually.

This unexpected rise points to an acceleration in sea level increase, driven by factors such as ocean warming, melting ice sheets, and glaciers.

The data is troubling given the dangers associated with rising seas, including the inland push of potentially deadly storms, threats to urban infrastructure, coastal erosion, and disruption of ecosystems — all contributing to more frequent high-tide flooding.

Higher-than-expected rise

Josh Willis, a sea level researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said in a statement:

"The rise we saw in 2024 was higher than we expected. Every year is a little different, but what’s clear is that the ocean keeps rising — and it’s rising faster and faster."

As global temperatures increase due to greenhouse gas emissions, more than 90% of that heat is absorbed by the oceans.

This leads to ocean warming and water expansion — a process known as thermal expansion — which contributes to rising sea levels.

Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, head of physical oceanography programs and the Integrated Earth System Observatory at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in the report:

“With 2024 as the warmest year on record, Earth’s expanding oceans are following suit, reaching their highest levels in three decades.”

Planetary warming has accounted for about one-third of the global sea level rise recorded by satellite altimeters since 2004.

Source : NASA

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