Glaciers and ice sheets are large masses of ice that sit on the land. Global sea level rise has two major causes: the expansion of ocean water as it warms. The simulation captures the evolution of sea level rise over the entire planet, taking into account eustatic sea level, sea level rise from perturbations to the gravity field, and sea level rise from local elastic rebound of the Earth's crust. Rising sea level is one of the clearest signs of global warming. In the last decade, the speed at which Florida’s sea level is rising has increased and is now rising by as much as 1 inch every 3 years. The 2D (depth averaged) hydrodynamic model of the Bay was used to compute tidal water levels and currents for several prescribed values of mean sea level. Sea level rise, a consequence of global climate change, threatens property, livelihoods, and even lives on Maryland’s coasts. Global mean sea level has risen about 8–9 inches (21–24 centimeters) since 1880, with about a third of that coming in just the last two and a half decades. Use the vertical slider to simulate water level rise, the resulting inundation footprint, and relative depth.

Sea level rise is caused primarily by two factors related to global warming: the added water from melting ice sheets and glaciers and the expansion of seawater as it warms.

Find out more about how NASA satellite observations help our understanding of this complex topic.

Fox Island sits in the bay off Virginia and Maryland, where sea level rise due to climate change is a major threat. Antarctica and Greenland) also contribute to rising sea levels. Scientists with the Intergovernmental Project on Climate Change predict that global sea level will rise between 0.3 and 1 meter by 2100.
A rise in sea levels is one of the most well-known consequences of global warming. Sea level started rising in the late 1800s, soon after we started burning coal, gas and other fossil fuels for energy.

Rising Sea Level. What causes sea level to rise?

Rising sea level can also harm important coastal ecosystems like mangrove forests and coral reefs.

More water in the oceans makes sea level higher. This work was presented in Adhikari et al., GMD 2016. There are two ways that higher temperatures cause higher sea level: (1) melting ice sheets and glaciers and (2) thermal expansion of seawater. As our planet warms, this ice melts and flows into the oceans. Rising sea level due to climate change will lead to increased salt intrusion to the Delta. Global Sea Level Regional Sea Level Explore the main causes: ice melt and heat-driven expansion of ocean water 5 - 8. This is the first sea-level record from the southern hemisphere showing a significantly higher rate of sea-level rise during the 20th century as compared with preceding centuries." Melting ice caps, mountain glaciers, and land based ice sheets (e.g. Over the course of the twenty-first century, global sea levels are projected to rise between about 2 and 7 feet, and possibly more. This represents a substantial increase in rate compared to the period 1901–1990 for which various studies estimate a mean rate of 1.2 mm a −1 –1.7 mm a −1, but it is too early to determine if this trend change represents a new global climate state.