Global Mean Sea Level Trajectory and Extrapolation to 2050
by J. K. Willis / Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Available on 1 platform
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Description
Global Mean Sea Level (GMSL) variations, a quadratic fit trajectory, and an extrapolation to 2050 are provided in this dataset. The GMSL data is computed by NASA's Sea Level Change program using integrated multi-mission ocean altimeter data from missions including TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, OSTM/Jason-2, Jason-3, and Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich. The dataset includes the raw GMSL variations, a quadratic fit to the data, the associated rate, an extrapolated time series to 2050, and the yearly rate of that extrapolation.
Use Cases
Modeling the quadratic trajectory of global mean sea level based on the provided fit parameters.
Extrapolating current sea level trends to future years, such as 2050, using the provided time series.
Analyzing the rate of sea level change over time based on the estimated rate column.
Comparing sea level data processing methods, as this dataset does not remove certain signals prior to parameter estimation, differing from other cited studies.
Strengths
Data is sourced from multiple, high-profile satellite altimeter missions managed by NASA.
Includes both historical variations and a forward-looking extrapolation to the year 2050.
Provides a quadratic fit to the data, offering a modeled trajectory of sea level change.
Limitations
Row count and specific temporal coverage are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred from the description after download.
The extrapolation to 2050 is explicitly described as not a projection, only an extension of the current trajectory.
Provenance
Source
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Sea Level Change program, and the Integrated Multi-Mission Ocean Altimeter Data for Climate Research.
Collection Method
Combined Sea Surface Heights from multiple satellite altimeter missions.
Time Range
The historical record's specific start and end dates are not stated, but an extrapolation is provided to 2050.
Geography
Global
Users must cite the provided references (Willis et al. and GSFC 2021) if they use the data.