SOS - Sea Surface Height Anomaly

  • Released Friday, May 16, 2025
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Flat map view of sea surface height (SSHA) data from March 2, 2015, to March 2, 2025. Dark blue represents lower-than-average height, and red represents higher-than-average height.

This visualization shows how the height of the ocean surface has changed from 2015 to 2025, based on data collected from satellite altimeters operated by NASA and its partners. Sea-surface height can be measured using radar: satellites send out radio waves that bounce off the ocean and return to the satellite as echoes. The strength and timing of those return signals indicates sea surface height. Blue regions show where sea level has decreased since 1992, while orange and red regions are where sea level has increased. Sea levels are rising due to the melting of land ice and the expansion of seawater as it warms.

Sea Surface Height Science On a Sphere Content

This is an interactive 3D model! Swipe with one finger to rotate the model.
This is an interactive 3D model! Click and drag to rotate the model.

This visualization shows how the height of the ocean surface has changed from 2014 to 2024, based on data collected from satellite altimeters operated by NASA and its partners. Satellites send out radio waves that bounce off the ocean and return to the satellite as echoes. The strength and timing of those return signals indicates sea surface height. Blue regions show where sea level has decreased since 1992, while orange and red regions are where sea level has increased. Sea levels are rising due to the expansion of seawater as it warms and the melting of ice (glacier, ice sheets) on land.

Still image of sea surface height anomaly on a globe

Still image of sea surface height anomaly on a globe

Still image of sea surface height anomaly on a globe

Still image of sea surface height anomaly on a globe

A 3D scan of Neil Armstrong's spacesuit, from the Smithsonian.

Color bar legend for sea surface height anomaly, spanning -0.3 to 0.3 meters

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

This page was originally published on Friday, May 16, 2025.
This page was last updated on Friday, May 16, 2025 at 11:50 AM EDT.