Sea Rise Has Slowed, As Land Soaks Up Water

According to scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, sea level rise over a recent 12-year period was less than predicted. Based on observations made through some ingenious coordination of two twin satellites (“Tom and Jerry”) that detected small differences in the force of gravity resulting from variations in water mass, scientists determined that between 2002 and 2014, sea level rise averaged 2.9 millimeters per year. The discrepancy was attributed to the fact that the continents were absorbing more water than normal during this period because of a spike in precipitation. These results, however, are not likely to provide much, or any, ammunition to climate skeptics. The observed rise was still double the average rate in the 20th century. “The expectation is this additional soaking up of water is not going to last forever,” said one of the study’s authors. “Climate always wins.”