Scary NASA visualisation shows 30 years of sea level rises

The visualisation shows 30 years of sea level rises. (Nasa)

Rob Waugh
·Contributor
Wed, June 21, 2023 

A new Nasa visualisation shows the rise in sea levels around the world between 1993 and 2022, as if viewed from a submerged porthole.

The visualisation shows off the global mean sea level change through a circular window, as if viewed from a submerged ship.

During those three decades, sea levels have risen by more than nine centimetres (about 3.5 inches), according to Nasa’s figures.

The melting of Antarctic ice is accelerating, scientists have warned, and if all Antarctica’s ice melted, global sea levels would rise by around 61 metres (200 feet).

The visualisation uses data from the Multi-Mission Ocean Altimeter Data for Climate Research, and was created by AJ Christensen is a data visualiser for the Nasa Scientific Visualization Studio (SVS).

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Nasa says, "As the planet warms and polar ice melts, our global average sea level is rising. Although exact ocean heights vary due to local geography, climate over time, and dynamic fluid interactions with gravity and planetary rotation, scientists observe sea level trends by comparing measurements against a 20 year spatial and temporal mean reference.

"These visualisations use the visual metaphor of a submerged porthole window to observe how far our oceans rose between 1993 and 2022.

If viewed on an 85-inch ultra HD display, the measurement markings in the video correspond exactly to the real sea level rise.

Researchers have warned that we may be underestimating the impact of climate change on sea levels.

Melting of the Greenland ice sheet is already predicted to raise sea levels worldwide, but scientists warned this year we may have been underestimating the impact by 200%.

New research on how the ‘grounding line’ – where an ice sheet transitions from being grounded to floating – works hints that glaciers could melt far faster than expected.

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Researchers working on the Petermann Glacier in north-west Greenland found that the grounding line moves and enables warm water to reach under the glacier.

The new study shows that warm ocean water intrudes beneath the ice through preexisting subglacial channels, with the highest melt rates occurring at the grounding zone.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said their findings could mean that the climate community has been vastly underestimating the magnitude of future sea level rise caused by polar ice deterioration.