Data Sources

This indicator describes how sea level has changed since 1880. Rising sea levels are associated with climate change, and they can affect human activities in coastal areas and can alter ecosystems. Components of this indicator include: Average absolute sea level change of the world's oceans since 1880 (Figure 1) Trends in relative sea level change along U.S. coasts over the past half-century (Figure 2) Figure 1 presents a reconstruction of absolute sea level developed by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). This reconstruction is based on two main data sources: Satellite data from the TOPography EXperiment (TOPEX)/Poseidon, Jason-1, and Jason-2 satellite altimeters, operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Tide gauge measurements compiled by the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL), which includes over a century's worth of daily and monthly tide gauge data. Figure 1 also presents the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) analysis of altimeter data from the TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1 and-2, GEOSAT Follow-On (GFO), Envisat, and European Remote Sensing (ERS) 2 satellite missions.