Overview

• Satellite records since the early 1990s show roughly 9 centimeters of global mean sea-level rise, closely matching the IPCC’s ~8-centimeter 30‑year forecast and averaging about 3 millimeters per year.
• The Tulane study, published in Earth’s Future, finds early models underestimated ice-sheet contributions from Greenland and Antarctica, with 2024 delivering an unusually large annual increase.
• Researchers say the close match strengthens the scientific basis for climate policy and counters claims that long-range projections lack reliability.
• Scientists emphasize that sea-level rise is uneven across regions, complicating local planning from Pacific island inundation to varying risks along German coasts.
• With agencies pointing to continued rise—NOAA estimates about 30 centimeters above 2000 levels by 2100—the German Weather Service is urging municipalities to boost resilience through greening, water reuse and rainwater storage.