Sea Level - Recent Changes

Recent Changes

For at least the last 100 years, sea level has been rising at an average rate of about 1.8 mm per year. The majority of this rise can be attributed to the increase in temperature of the sea and the resulting slight thermal expansion of the upper 500m of sea water. Additional contributions, as much as one-fourth of the total, come from water sources on land, such as melting snow and glaciers and extraction of groundwater for irrigation and other agricultural and human needs. (see global warming).