Identification

Title

Diagnosing regional sea level change over the altimeter era

Abstract

Since 1993, satellite altimeters have been mapping sea level changes globally, revealing both the global mean rate and detailed patterns of regional variations. The global mean rate is well studied, closely linked to global energy and water cycles, while regional patterns are influenced by a complex mix of internal climate dynamics and external factors like greenhouse gases and aerosols. Yet, a synthesis of these regional patterns using a comprehensive diagnostic approach has been lacking. Our research addresses this gap by integrating oceanic and atmospheric observations with large ensembles of state‐of‐the‐art global climate models. This approach sheds new light upon the mechanisms behind basin‐scale sea level patterns worldwide. A key finding is the dominant influence of wind forcing, particularly Ekman and Sverdrup dynamics, in shaping sea level changes from the tropics to higher latitudes. We find that the pattern of sea level rise since 1993 is primarily driven by wind‐induced changes in ocean circulation, which can affect sea surface height through ocean mass and heat distribution. Interestingly, these wind‐driven changes are not just products of internal climate variability; most of the observed patterns are recovered by global climate model projections driven by historical anthropogenic forcings, and single‐forcing experiments provide further insight into which forcings are responsible for various features in the satellite altimetry record. Understanding the drivers of regional sea level rise, including differentiating anthropogenic signals from natural variability, is essential for effectively adapting to climate change impacts on global infrastructure and society.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

https://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d74j0kj3

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2025-06-01T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

<span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;" data-sheets-root="1">Copyright 2025 American Geophysical Union (AGU).</span>

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata date

2025-12-24T17:48:55.503643

Metadata language

eng; USA