Global sea levels rose at an average rate of 2.06 mm per year since 1960, accelerating to 3.94 mm per year from 2005 to 2023.
An international team of climate researchers has explained the causes behind global sea level rise over the past six decades, resolving a long-standing measurement discrepancy.
Key Findings
Ocean warming contributed 43% of the rise; mountain glaciers 27%; the Greenland Ice Sheet 15%; the Antarctic Ice Sheet 12%; and changes in land water storage 3%.
The acceleration is driven primarily by increasing ice melt from Greenland and Antarctica since 1993.
Resolution of Measurement Gap
The study, published in Science Advances, attributes the earlier mismatch to improved satellite data corrections, better land movement measurements at tide gauges, and more accurate ice loss estimates.
Lead author: Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Collaborators include Tulane University, NSF NCAR, University of St. Thomas, and French partners.
Future Projections
Researchers state that sea level rise will continue for centuries due to slow ocean heat absorption and ongoing ice melt, even if greenhouse gas emissions stabilize.