Global warming is causing sea levels to rise due to the combined effects of melting glaciers and thermal expansion of the oceans, with a global average rise of about 20 cm since the mid-19th century, with similar trends in Australasia.
Sea level rise has accelerated in recent decades, with a global increase of 2.6-2.9 mm/year from 1993 to mid-2014.
These projections do not fully capture the potential contribution to sea level rise from the large ice sheets (Greenland and Antarctica), whose response to global warming is uncertain and possibly underestimated, with rises exceeding 2.4 m being physically possible later this century.
Due to rising sea levels, the frequency and magnitude of coastal flooding is expected to increase significantly this century, regardless of potential changes in storm events.
