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How is NOC Researching Sea Level Change?

The National Oceanography Centre and its predecessors have been at the forefront of sea level science for over a century. In the early 20th century, NOC scientists Joseph Proudman and Arthur Doodson were pioneers of tidal science. In 1933, Proudman began gathering global mean sea level records from tide gauges, creating the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL), a global dataset still central to our understanding of sea level change.

NOC maintains the UK’s national tide gauge network, providing high quality sea-level information to monitor long term sea level change at  coastal locations across the UK, with the distribution and quality control of the data managed by the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC). We also maintain the UK South Atlantic tide gauge network, stretching from Gibraltar to remote islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. This forms a major part of the UK’s contribution to the Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS). Many of these sites are in harsh, remote locations. Our engineers design robust, easy-to-maintain systems that can be operated by local non-experts.

How Does NOC Lead Research into Sea Levels?

Today, NOC leads the way in developing new methods to measure sea level, at the coast and far out at sea. Our research includes:

Supporting the development of satellite altimetry

Through projects such as SWOT-UK, exploring satellite monitoring of sea surface height.

SWOT-UK Project

Global Navigation Satellite Systems

 To estimate sea level, transforming what was once considered sensor "noise" into useful data.

Discover more about GNSS

Installation of accuracy, high frequency tide gauges

To improve knowledge of long-term sea level trends and protection against high frequency events such as waves and tsunamis.

UK Tide Gauge Network

Contributing expertise on sea-level research

Knowledge on sea-level research in the Met Office’s yearly State of the UK Climate Report

Read the Report

Get the data

The British Oceanographic Data Centre hosts and provides access to all to sea level data.

Get Sea Level Reports

PSMSL is the global data bank for long term sea level change information from tide gauges and bottom pressure recorders.

Get data from the PSMSL

The UK National Tide Gauge Network was set up as a result of severe flooding along the east coast of England in 1953.

Get UK Tide Gauge Network Data

NOC is a key contributor to the Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS), with representation on the GLOSS steering committee.

Visit the GLOSS website

Impact

We work closely with partners like the Environment Agency and the UK Hydrographic Office, providing statistics, advice and predictions that help shape policy and coastal planning. NOC also contributes annually to the State of the UK Climate report, led by the Met Office, with sea level updates and analysis.

NOC’s sea level research has enabled us to monitor previously unmeasured regions, improving global coverage. This leads to:

More accurate tide predictions

Better storm surge forecasting

Deeper understanding of how sea level is rising locally and globally

Podcasts

Did You Know We Study the Ocean in SPACE Using Satellites?

Did You Know We Study the Ocean in SPACE Using Satellites?

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Climate change United Nations • Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Is the El

Climate change United Nations • Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Is the El

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What Factors Are Increasing the Likelihood of Extreme Sea Levels?

What Factors Are Increasing the Likelihood of Extreme Sea Levels?

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Flooding: How Do We Tackle The Biggest and Most Destructive Natural Hazard?

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Publications

One of the outputs of our science is publications. Publications show the impact and relevance of our science and technology.

Coastal Sea level rise around the China Seas

Authors

Qu, Ying; Jevrejeva, Svetlana ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9490-4665; Jackson, Luke P.; Moore, John C.. 2019 Coastal Sea level rise around the China Seas. Global and Planetary Change, 172. 454-463. 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2018.11.005

Publication year

2019

Publication type

Article

Storm surges and extreme sea levels: Review, establishment of model intercomparison and coordination of surge climate projection efforts (SurgeMIP).

Authors

Bernier, Natacha B.; Hemer, Mark; Mori, Nobuhito; Appendini, Christian M.; Breivik, Oyvind; de Camargo, Ricardo; Casas-Prat, Mercè; Duong, Trang M.; Haigh, Ivan D.; Howard, Tom; Hernaman, Vanessa; Huizy, Oleksandr; Irish, Jennifer L.; Kirezci, Ebru; Kohno, Nadao; Lee, Jun-Whan; McInnes, Kathleen L.; Meyer, Elke M.I.; Marcos, Marta; Marsooli, Reza; Martin Oliva, Ariadna; Menendez, Melisa; Moghimi, Saeed; Muis, Sanne; Polton, Jeff A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0131-5250; Pringle, William J.; Ranasinghe, Roshanka; Saillour, Thomas; Smith, Grant; Tadesse, Michael Getachew; Swail, Val; Tomoya, Shimura; Voukouvalas, Evangelos; Wahl, Thomas; Wang, Pengcheng; Weisse, Ralf; Westerink, Joannes J.; Young, Ian; Zhang, Y. Joseph. 2024 Storm surges and extreme sea levels: Review, establishment of model intercomparison and coordination of surge climate projection efforts (SurgeMIP). Weather and Climate Extremes, 45, 100689. 10.1016/j.wace.2024.100689

Publication year

2024

Publication type

Article

New Data Systems and Products at the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level

Authors

Holgate, Simon J.; Matthews, Andrew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5210-2453; Woodworth, Philip L.; Rickards, Lesley J.; Tamisiea, Mark E.; Bradshaw, Elizabeth; Foden, Peter R.; Gordon, Kathleen M; Jevrejeva, Svetlana ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9490-4665; Pugh, Jeff ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7173-1674. 2013 New Data Systems and Products at the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level. Journal of Coastal Research, 29 (3). 493-504. 10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-12-00175.1

Publication year

2013

Publication type

Article

Ocean waves with a city skyline in the background

Discover the Ocean: Sea Level Rise Explained

Head over to Discover the Ocean to find out all about sea level rise including the main causes, historical records, impacts across the world and how it is predicted to change in the future.