![]() coastal communities than it was just 50 years ago. Disruptive and expensive, nuisance flooding is estimated to be from 300 percent to 900 percent more frequent within U.S. Higher sea levels mean that deadly and destructive storm surges push farther inland than they once did, which also means more frequent nuisance flooding. ![]() In 2014, global sea level wasĢ.6 inches above the 1993 average-the highest annual average in the satellite record (1993-present). Global sea level has been rising over the past century, and the rate has increased in recent decades. Taken together, these tools tell us how our ocean sea levels are changing over time. Satellite measurements provide us with the average height of the entire ocean. Tide stations around the globe tell us what is happening at a local level-the height of the water as measured along the coast relative to a specific point on land. Sea level is primarily measured using tide stations and satellite laser altimeters. Sea level rise at specific locations may be more or less than the global average due to many local factors: subsidence, upstream flood control, erosion, regional ocean currents, variations in land height, and whether the land is still rebounding from the compressive weight of Ice Age glaciers. Just as the surface of the Earth is not flat, the surface of the ocean is also not flat-in other words, the sea surface is not changing at the same rate globally. Global sea level trends and relative sea level trends are different measurements. What's the difference between global and local sea level?
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