measuring sea level change

As sea level rise accelerates, there is a greater need to protect those living closest to our coasts.

Historically, coastal management strategies, such as the building of sea walls, have been reactive to extreme events. Now, more sustainable adaptive management strategies are sought.

A recent study has shown there is regional variation in sea-level change on the eastern and western North Atlantic and therefore no single site is representative of the ocean-wide trends.

Professor Philip Woodworth of the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Liverpool and Professor Roland Gehrels of Plymouth University asked when sea level rise started to accelerate – and narrowed it down to a point in the early 1900s.

Global sea levels are rising.