Sea-Level Rise
why does sea level rise?
Thermal Expansion of Seawater: As the climate warms, ocean water absorbs heat and expands. Even without adding any extra water, warmer water occupies more volume.
Addition of Water from Land Ice and Glaciers: Mountain glaciers worldwide have been melting more rapidly, releasing freshwater into the oceans.
Greenland & Antarctic Ice Sheets: Large-scale mass loss from these ice sheets—through surface melting, iceberg calving, and basal melting—adds significant volumes of water. Greenland alone is currently the largest single contributor among ice sheets.
why does it matter?
Even global-average sea‑level rise of a few millimeters per year increases flooding risks in low-lying coastal areas, exacerbates storm surges, accelerates coastal erosion, and can lead to saltwater intrusion into freshwater resources.
Projections under higher-emissions scenarios suggest total rise by 2100 could exceed 1 meter (3 ft) above late‑20th‑century levels, with the exact amount depending on future greenhouse gas trajectories and ice‑sheet behavior.
