VIDEO DESCRIPTION:
An animated line graph of sea level change seen from space. The line shows fluctuations, but overall about 10 centimeters of rise since 1992. Behind the graph, a rotating globe shows where sea levels are rising.
Seas are not only rising, the pace of the rise is quickening as well.
Sea levels around the globe have risen 10.1 centimeters (about 3.98 inches) on average, according to 30 years of satellite data. That’s like covering the contiguous U.S. in about 16 feet (about 5 meters) of water. Recent rates have been unprecedented over the past 2,500-plus years.
This line graph shows an overall rise in sea levels. Highs and lows each year are caused by the exchange of water – like through rain and snow – between land and sea.
The globe shows how the rate of sea level rise varies in different areas, with some parts of the ocean rising faster (shown in red and orange) than the global rate. Many of the changes from the average reflect long-term shifts in ocean currents and heat distribution, such as El Niño and La Niña events.
NASA and its partner agencies have been monitoring sea levels from space for thirty years, starting with the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite that launched in 1992. Since then, five satellite missions with similar instruments have continued measuring sea level from orbit. Together, these missions provide a standardized record of ocean surface heights that is sensitive enough to detect global and regional sea level changes.
Source and credit for text and video: NASA Earth
Saima Baig
I am a Chartered Environmentalist from the Royal Society for the Environment, UK and co-owner of DoLocal Digital Marketing Agency Ltd, with a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University, an MBA in Finance, and a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics. I am passionate about science, history and environment and love to create content on these topics.
