Sea Levels Have Stopped Rising

Dr Gray On Sea Levels
October 2008

QUOTE: It is noteworthy that many of the published records have levelled out in the last 50 years particularly after satellite levelling equipment has been installed.

QUOTE: Satellite measurements of globally averaged sea level (Solomon et al. 2007 Chapter 5, page 411), started in 1992, have shown a rise from 1993 to 2003 of 3.1 � 0.7mm/yr but it has levelled off since then.



The supposed warming of the earth's surface is expected to cause a steady rise of sea level as a result of thermal expansion of the oceans and melting of land-based ice. Some increase is also expected as a delayed influence of the disappearance of the last ice age.
The IPCC (Solomon et al. Chapter 5, page 410) estimates global average sea level rise as 1.7 � 0.5 mm/yr for the 20th Century and 1.8 � 0.6 mm/yr from 1961-2003 based on tide-gauge data.

As has been pointed out by John Daly (2000), these figures are obtained after an attempt to correct the tide gauge figures for various forms of geological disturbance, using a model derived from Northern Hemisphere experience, which is probably not universally applicable. In addition no corrections are made for possible subsidence due to removal of groundwater or minerals, or of the weight of buildings. Tide gauge equipment is difficult to keep level as it is subject to constant battering by the sea.

It is noteworthy that many of the published records have levelled out in the last 50 years particularly after satellite levelling equipment has been installed.

Satellite measurements of globally averaged sea level (Solomon et al. 2007 Chapter 5, page 411), started in 1992, have shown a rise from 1993 to 2003 of 3.1 � 0.7mm/yr but it has levelled off since then. Wunsch et al (2008) have questioned the accuracy and reliability of the data, because they do not include important oceans.

There are regional variations, one of which is the Western Pacific. The widespread belief that the island of Tuvalu and other Pacific islands are sinking in the ocean appears to be untrue. Since local tide-gauge measurements showed no such change, a research study was set up in 1991 at Flinders University, Adelaide, with the firm belief that Tuvalu would prove to be sinking.

The team replaced the tide-gauges of 12 Pacific Islands with the most modern equipment and have now been going for 13 years

All the 12 stations show no tendency for their sea level to rise in 13 years.

There was a hurricane in the Pacific in 1988 which caused a depression in all of the tide-gauges.

When the authors ran a linear regression, they were able to claim a small rise since the depression caused by the 1998 hurricane.

Tuvalu actually rose in 2005.

The results are shown in Figure 18 (Hall 2007).

http://www.climatescience.org.nz/images/PDFs/GlobalScam3a.pdf --

Warmest Regards
Bonzo
"The notion of a static, unchanging climate is foreign to the history of the earth or any other planet with a fluid envelope. The fact that the developed world went into hysterics over changes in global mean temperature of a few tenths of a degree will astound future generations." Richard Lindzen, Professor of Meteorology MIT and Member of the National Academy of Sciences