Sea Level Rise
The links on this page provide answers to questions about how much the sea has risen, how much it might rise, and what the impacts might be. Resources for overall climate change adaptation planning, including resources for adaptation options, planning frameworks and more, can be found on the Coastal Adaptation Toolkit page.
Change so far
Climate Change Indicators in the United States: Sea Level
Global average sea level change from the EPA's Report on the Environment
Sea level from satellite radar altimeters: NOAA . NASA , AVISO , U. Colorado
Sea level trends at NOAA tide gauges (includes land movement)
Future sea level rise
Reports and projections
Global and Regional Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the United States
- Sea Level Rise Technical Report (February 2022) from the Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flood Hazard Scenarios and Tools Interagency Task Force
- Interagency Sea Level Rise Scenario Tool via NASA
USACE Sea Level Tracker. Plots actual sea level vs. projected sea level changes.
Map based viewers
NOAA's Sea Level Rise Viewer
Surging Seas from Climate Central
What are the impacts?
Coastal Sensitivity to Sea Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region. SAP 4.1, especially Parts I and II
Risk identification checklists
Additional resources
Sea-level rise modeling handbook: Resource guide for coastal land managers, engineers, and scientists (2015) from USGS
Department of Defense report on Regional Sea Level Scenarios for Coastal Risk Management (April 2016)