NASA announced on Thursday (13) that the global level of the sea showed an increase higher than expected during the year 2024, driven mainly by ocean warming. According to an analysis by the space agency, the elevation rate reached 0.59 centimeters per year, well above the initial forecast of 0.43 centimeters per year.
“The data collected in 2024 show an increase beyond our projections,” said Josh Willis, a researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). “Although there are annual variations, the general tendency is clear: the oceans continue to rise, and the speed of this process is accelerating.”
Research has revealed a significant change in the contribution pattern to raising sea level. Traditionally, about two thirds of this increase were attributed to the melting of the glaciers and the land layers of ice, while the rest was due to the thermal expansion of water. In 2024, however, the situation was reversed: two thirds of the elevation were caused by the thermal expansion of the oceans.
“The year 2024 has recorded the highest temperatures ever documented, and oceans respond directly to this phenomenon, reaching their highest levels in 30 years of monitoring,” Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, responsible for NASA physical oceanography programs, explained.
Since 1993, when satellite monitoring has started, the annual raising rate of sea level more than doubled. Over this period, the level of the oceans rose approximately 10 centimeters, according to the data of the ocean observation satellites.
The El Niño phenomenon also plays an important role in this process. The displacement of the hot water masses in the Pacific Ocean results in a vertical increase of heat in the ocean layers. This phenomenon further contributes to the acceleration of sea level raising.
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The study reinforces the growing concern of the scientific community on the impacts of climate change, especially for coastal communities, which already face more frequent flooding during high tides. Regions such as Florida and Indonesia are particularly vulnerable to these extreme events.
