Research

Sea level and climate research spanning island flood events to global sea level rise.

Data

Quality controlled sea level data from the global network of tide gauges.

Tide Gauges

We maintain an international network for research and tsunami observation.

GLOSS

The UHSLC is part of the Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS).

Recent Sea Level Trends

The rate of sea level change differs from one place to another and from one decade to the next.

Click the tabs above the map to see trends over the last 10 years, the last 20 years, and since the beginning of the satellite record in 1993. The maps show sea level trends from satellite altimetry (colored contours) and tide gauges (circles).

The satellite trends reflect changes in the sea surface height only, with most of the spatial variation resulting from the influence of winds blowing over the ocean. The tide gauge trends are relative to a fixed point on land and reflect changes in water level plus local vertical land motion. The land near a tide gauge can move up and down for a variety of reasons, such as earthquakes or ground-water withdrawal.

Data sources: Trends were calculated using (1) tide gauge data from the UHSLC Fast-Delivery database, and (2) Ssalto/Duacs altimeter products that were produced and distributed by the E.U. Copernicus Marine and Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS). The latter are identical to the products formerly distributed by Aviso. **Please cite these sources if using images exported from the above maps.**

Links and Resources

NOAA Climate.gov Global Sea Level

Introduction to the science and impact of sea level change – including an up-to-date estimate of global sea level change from tide gauges using UHSLC Fast-Delivery data.

Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level

The PSMSL was established in 1933 at the UK National Oceanography Centre (NOC) and is responsible for archiving and analyzing sea level data from the global network of tide gauges.

NOAA CO-OPS Tide Gauge Sea Level Trends

Trends in local mean sea level from tide gauges provided by the NOAA Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS).

UNESCO IOC Sea Level Station Monitoring Facility

The UNESCO IOC Sea Level Monitoring facility at the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) provides real-time sea level data and station information from the global network of tide gauges.

NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer

The NOAA Office for Coastal Management provides a Sea Level Viewer to simulate and visualize various sea level rise scenarios around the contiguous U.S. and Hawaii.

Système d'Observation du Niveau des Eaux Littorales

SONEL provides high-quality continuous GPS measurements of land motion at the coast for studies of long-term sea level trends and calibration of satellite altimeters.

NASA Sea Level Change Portal

The NASA Sea Level Change Portal provides access to the latest sea level news and research, as well as a comprehensive data portal providing relevant oceanic and cryospheric datasets.

CSIRO Sea Level

The sea level research group at CSIRO publishes the most widely cited reconstruction of 20th century global mean sea level from tide gauges and a wealth of background material.

University of Colorado Sea Level Research Group

The University of Colorado Sea Level Research Group provides up-to-date estimates of GMSL and regional trends from satellite altimetry, including details about the data processing.

Aviso Satellite Altimetry

Aviso provides a variety of popular multi-mission gridded satellite altimetry and coastal altimetry products in addition to recent news and research.