In a striking revelation, NASA’s latest analysis has shown that global sea levels surged at an unprecedented rate in 2024, climbing 0.59 centimeters per year—well above the anticipated 0.43 centimeters. This acceleration, detailed in a report released on March 14, 2025, underscores an alarming trend driven primarily by the thermal expansion of warming ocean waters, a phenomenon intensified by record-breaking global temperatures.

Josh Willis, a sea level expert at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, emphasized the escalating pace: “The ocean keeps rising, and it’s speeding up.” Historically, melting ice sheets and glaciers have accounted for roughly two-thirds of sea level rise, with the remaining third linked to seawater expanding as it heats.

Yet, 2024 flipped this pattern. NASA data indicates that thermal expansion contributed two-thirds of the rise, fueled by an unusually warm ocean, while meltwater from land-based ice played a secondary role.

The findings align with 2024 being the hottest year on record, pushing ocean levels to their highest in 30 years. Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, who oversees NASA’s physical oceanography programs, noted, “Earth’s expanding oceans are a clear signal of a warming planet.” Since 1993, when satellite monitoring began with the TOPEX/Poseidon mission, global sea levels have risen by 10 centimeters, with the annual rate doubling over that span.

This long-term tracking, now in its fourth decade, relies on advanced ocean-observing satellites like Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, launched in 2020, and its forthcoming twin, Sentinel-6B.

These spacecraft measure sea surface heights with remarkable precision across 90% of the world’s oceans. As climate change intensifies, NASA’s data paints a sobering picture: rising seas are no longer a distant threat but an accelerating reality, challenging forecasts and demanding urgent attention