NASA recorded an unprecedented jump in sea level rise in 2023. While part of this historic rise could be linked to the El Niño phenomenon, the trend has deeper roots and is expected to continue.
Variations from one year to the next can be significant but it is not yet certain that this ‘jump’ is indicative of an underlying trend. Three basic factors affect sea levels: the thermal expansion of water, the melting of mountain glaciers and that of the poles. With surface temperatures reaching a new record last year and ice melt accelerating, part of the acceleration could well be attributed to climate change. But the increase also seems to have been accentuated.