Title: Climate Change: Global Sea Level | NOAA Climate.gov
Headings: Climate Change: Global Sea Level
Climate news, stories, images, & video (ClimateWatch Magazine)
Climate Change: Global Sea Level
Sea level since 1880
In some ocean basins, sea level has risen as much as 6-8 inches (15-20 centimeters) since the start of the satellite record in 1993.
Why sea level matters
What’s causing sea level to rise?
The pace of global sea level rise more than doubled from 1.4 mm per year throughout most of the twentieth century to 3.6 mm per year from 2006–2015.
Measuring sea level
Future sea level rise
About the data used in the interactive graph
References
More sea level data and information from NOAA and partners

Content: Higher background water levels mean that deadly and destructive storm surges, such as those associated with Hurricane Katrina, “Superstorm” Sandy, and Hurricane Michael—push farther inland than they once did. Higher sea level also means more frequent high-tide flooding, sometimes called “ nuisance flooding ” because it isn't generally deadly or dangerous, but it can be disruptive and expensive. ( Explore past and future frequency of high-tide flooding at U.S. locations with the Climate Explorer, part of the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit.) Nuisance flooding in Annapolis in 2012. Around the U.S., nuisance flooding has increased dramatically in the past 50 years. Photo by Amy McGovern. In the natural world, rising sea level creates stress on coastal ecosystems that provide recreation, protection from storms, and habitat for fish and wildlife, including commercially valuable fisheries. As seas rise, saltwater is also contaminating freshwater aquifers, many of which sustain municipal and agricultural water supplies and natural ecosystems. What’s causing sea level to rise? Global warming is causing global mean sea level to rise in two ways.