Sea level is by no means “level.” Not only are there small changes in the geoid (the gravitational equipotential surface), the sea itself does not conform to the geoid because of winds and currents, tides and storms. These geographical variations are in addition to the constant fluctuations caused by the exchange of water between land, oceans, ice, and atmosphere, and of course the changes wrought by global warming.
NOAA’s Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry has sea level time series derived from satellite data, not just for the globe, but for a number of different regions around the globe. Let’s take a look.
Open Mind 