NASA Satellite Reveals Unexpected Sea Surface Increase In 2024

Illustration of sea water rise (photo: dock. NASA)

JAKARTA Global sea level experienced an unexpected rise last year. According to NASA's analysis, this sea level rise occurred due to a combination of melting sea and ice warming.

Over the years, NASA has always monitored sea conditions on Earth using special satellites placed in orbit. Based on the satellite's observations, the rate of water rise last year reached 0.59cm per year, larger than expected.

In fact, NASA estimates that last year's rate only reached 0.17cm. Although the numbers look small, this increase is actually quite large because what is monitored is not only one region, but the whole country.

The increase in seawater also shows that water continues to increase because ice on land such as glaciers melts excessively. This is closely related to global warming. Therefore, high sea water increase can be a problem.

The increase we saw in 2024 was higher than we expected, said Josh Willis, Sea Surface Researcher at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Every year is slightly different, but what is clear is that sea levels continue to rise, and the rate of increase is getting faster.

Usually, sea level rise is indeed influenced by melting of the ice sheet. Over the past few years, two-thirds of the increase in water comes from ice and glaciers. However, last year it was different because the two-thirds increase in water was influenced by thermal expansion.

Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, Head of NASA's Physical Oceanography Program, confirmed that this increase was largely affected by global warming. Earlier this year, NASA reported that 2024 was the hottest year they had ever recorded.

Currently, NASA is observing sea level using the Sentinel-6 satellite. The satellite has been operating for five years, launched in 2020. It is part of a twin satellite that was assigned to observe the sea from space.

Its twin satellites, Sentinel-6B, will launch in the near future. By launching the next marine observer satellite, NASA will get high sea water information for 90 percent of the world's oceans with more accurate results.