Sea-level change refers to temporal variations in the height of the global or regional ocean surface relative to a reference datum, driven by combined effects of eustatic, isostatic, and steric processes. Eustatic change primarily arises from alterations in ocean mass, notably through glacial–interglacial ice-sheet dynamics and contemporary land ice melt. Isostatic and tectonic processes modify the vertical position of the solid Earth, producing relative sea-level change at specific locations. Steric contributions reflect temperature- and salinity-driven density changes that alter ocean volume. Quantifying sea-level change integrates tide-gauge records, satellite altimetry, gravimetry, and glacial isostatic adjustment models for reconstructing past variability and constraining projections.
The climate crisis is warming Antarctica fast, with potentially disastrous consequences. Now scientists have modeled the best- and worst-case scenarios for climate change in Antarctica, demonstrating just how high the stakes ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 20, 2026
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211
The Antarctic ice sheet does not behave as one single tipping element, but as a set of interacting basins with different critical thresholds. This is the finding of a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 18, 2026
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61
Most Hawaiʻi residents believe sea level rise is already affecting the state, expect major impacts within their lifetimes, and support significant changes to how and where development occurs. At the same time, many remain ...
Environment
Feb 17, 2026
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58
An international team featuring faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York has drilled the longest ever sediment core from under an ice sheet, providing a record stretching back millions of years that ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 17, 2026
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725
Gravity feels reliable—stable and consistent enough to count on. But reality is far stranger than our intuition. In truth, the strength of gravity varies over Earth's surface. And it is weakest beneath the frozen continent ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 16, 2026
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597
Since the beginning of January, an unusually long period of easterly winds has caused the average water level in the Baltic Sea to fall to a historic low. Measurements at the Swedish Landsort-Norra gauge show values that ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 9, 2026
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186
Africa's coastlines are under growing threat as sea levels climb faster than ever, driven by decades of global warming caused by human activity, natural climate cycles, and warming ocean waters. Between 2009 and 2024, the ...
Recent storms washed away large sections of roads in the UK after sea defenses were damaged. For residents, it was a shock. But for coastal scientists, it was not unexpected.
Environment
Feb 7, 2026
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32
People living on the low-lying shores of the Bristol Channel and Severn estuary began their day like any other on January 30, 1607. The weather was calm. The sky was bright.
Earth Sciences
Jan 29, 2026
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27
Even as global warming causes sea levels to rise worldwide, sea levels around Greenland will likely drop, according to a new paper published in Nature Communications. "The Greenland coastline is going to experience quite ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 26, 2026
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