Due to an unusual ocean warmingthe sea level worldwide increased in 2024 by more than estimated by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The portal Ecoticias The company's management of the thermal expansion of water, one of the main causes of the increase in sea level.

According to satellite data from the NASAThe expected annual rise was 0.43 centimeters (cm), but actual records indicated an increase of 0.59 cm, exceeding predictions by 0.16 cm. This marks a worrying trend, as the rate of growth is accelerating, affecting ecosystems, island regions and economic activities dependent on the sea.

Josh Willisresearcher at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA, explained that the sea level continues to rise and that the pace of this increase increases with each year. In 2024, two-thirds of the growth was the result of the thermal expansion of waterwhereas in previous years the bulk of the increase came from the glacier melting and ice sheets.

"With 2024 as the warmest year on record, the Earth's expanding oceans are following suit, reaching their highest levels in three decades," said Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, NASA's director of oceanographic programs.

Since satellite measurements began in 1993, sea level has risen a total of 10 cm. The ocean observing program of the NASAstarted with the sTOPEX/Poseidon atellite in 1992 and continued with the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich in 2020, has made it possible to track these changes with high accuracy. The next satellite Sentinel-6B will continue with these measurements in the coming years.

The El Niño phenomenon has also played a key role in this increase, as the massive movement of warm water in the Pacific facilitates heat transfer to the deeper layers of the ocean, intensifying thermal expansion.

Source: Ecoticias