NASA releases interactive map projecting sea level rise through 2150

NASA has released a new interactive map created by its Sea Level Change Team to visualize projected sea level rises through the year 2150. The tool utilizes projections from the IPCC, incorporating data from satellites, ground instruments, and scientific observations regarding temperatures, ice states, and emissions.

Global sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate. According to the World Meteorological Organization, the average rate of increase rose from approximately 2.1 millimeters per year between 1993 and 2002 to about 4.7 millimeters per year between 2015 and 2024. The primary drivers are ocean warming, which causes water to expand, and the melting of land-based ice, such as glaciers and the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.

Scientific estimates suggest a global mean sea level increase of between 0.4 and 1 meter by the end of the century, depending on climate scenarios. Because of climate system inertia, some rise is considered inevitable even with drastic emission reductions. The United Nations notes that nearly one in ten people globally live in coastal areas less than five meters above high tide, making them highly vulnerable to increased storm surges and extreme weather.