Regional variations in rising ocean levels can reach five times the global average

Ars Technica : An analysis of satellite data collected between April 2002 and June 2014 found that global sea levels rose by a yearly average of about 2.74 mm. Using measurements of changes in localized mass and height, researchers determined the oceans’ overall change in volume as well as local variations. Then the scientists compared their findings with those from previous studies that charted water salinity and temperature changes. The researchers concluded that the global volumetric increase was larger than previously estimated and that the increase from melting glaciers and ice sheets was offset by a variety of other changes. For regional changes, different contributing factors ranged widely. In the western portions of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, nearly 75% of sea-level increase was due to volumetric changes. Near the Philippines this resulted in a yearly change of roughly 14.7 mm over the period. In the central and eastern Pacific, heat-driven expansion may have actually reduced global sea levels.