[NeilBlanchard]

Originally Posted by niky

Surprise surprise... water levels don't always rise, or rise uniformly.

And adjustments do have to be made, because the land itself either rises or sinks.

Scientists do note areas where the sea level is going down, either due to the variability caused by heat distribution:

https://www2.ucar.edu/atmosnews/news...-coastal-areas

Or due to land masses rebounding after glacial melt:

SitNews: Melting glaciers boost sea level; however, sea levels will actually drop in Alaska By MOLLY RETTIG

Also, yes, there is debate. And fighting:

Tides Gauge vs. Altimetry
(That was an interesting read)

Another effect that is a big part of sea level - is the gravitational pull of land ice.

When the Greenland ice melts, the sea level around it will drop, because the gravitational pull of the ice is shifted to the sea. Same for Antarctic ice.

Antarctic ice is about 2.5 MILES thick, and it is pushing the land under it DOWN a bit less than 1/2 MILE. The sea level around Antarctica is pulled up a lot.

The bulge of sea level around the equator, that results from the earth spinning on its axis (making the shape of the earth into an oblate spheroid) - is shifted southward by the gravitational pull of the Antarctic ice. A LOT.

Since we measure elevation of mountains above sea level - AND since sea level is NOT consistent (i.e. not "level"), there is a mountain in Ecuador called Mount Chimborazo THAT IS TALLER THAN Mount EVEREST, relative to the center of the earth / space.

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/...toryId=9428163

Science is complicated, and checkable. Without science, we would not be discussing this on the Internet.

We have GRACE satellites - that measure elevation and gravity <i>very</i> precisely. They can measure the elevation change due to pumping of ground water in the California drought.