Rising sea levels around the world is one of the most visible consequences of human-caused climate change. As global temperatures rise, oceans absorb more heat and expand, while melting glaciers and ice sheets add even more water to the seas.
A new international study led by researchers from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences has fully explained the causes of global sea level rise over the past six decades, providing the clearest picture yet of one of climate change's most serious threats.
The researchers found that global sea levels have risen at an average rate of 0.81 inches per year since 1960. But that pace has accelerated in recent decades, swelling to 1.55 inches per year between 2005 and 2023.
The study, which was recently published in the journal Science Advances, found that warming ocean water is the largest contributor to global sea level rise, responsible for about 43% of that increase. Melting ice from mountain glaciers accounts for another 27%. Melting ice from the Greenland Ice Sheet contributes 15% and melting ice from the Antarctic Ice Sheet adds another 12%.
The research also explains why sea level rise has been accelerating. In recent decades, the rapid melting of glaciers and ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica has become a much larger driver of global sea level rise.
The study’s findings reinforce a sobering reality. Because oceans and ice sheets respond slowly to warming, sea levels are expected to continue rising for centuries to come.
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This script was adapted from "Sea Level Rise Is Speeding Up and Scientists Now Know Exactly Why," ScienceDaily, based on research from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, May 22, 2026.
