Global Sea Level Archive from Tide Gauges Since 1846

Sea level measurements form the Joint Archive for Sea Level (JASL), the largest global collection of quality-controlled hourly sea level data. The archive is a collaboration between the University of Hawaii Sea Level Center and NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, containing data from global tide gauge stations. It has been maintained since the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Program and is updated twice a year.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term sea level rise trends using hourly and daily measurements from stations like Abashiri and Acapulco.
• Calibrating and validating ocean circulation models with quality-controlled, gap-filled time series data.
• Studying regional variations in coastal flooding and storm surge impacts using the global network of tide gauges.
• Investigating reference level shifts and datum consistency across different national monitoring networks.

Strengths

• Data undergoes quality control including error correction for spikes and time shifts, and interpolation for gaps under 25 hours.
• Archive is described as the largest global collection of quality-controlled hourly sea level data.
• The dataset has a long temporal coverage, with records dating back to 1846.
• Collection is updated on a bi-annual schedule and submitted to multiple authoritative archives.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and a complete column schema are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last update date, with one listing 2019-07-30 and others listing 2026-03 05.

Provenance

Source

Joint Archive for Sea Level (JASL), a collaboration between University of Hawaii Sea Level Center/JIMAR and NOAA/NCEI.

Collection Method

Hourly data received from regional and national sea level networks, then inspected, corrected, and documented.

Time Range

Since 1846

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:08:32.377103

Geography

Global oceans, with stations listed including locations in Japan, El Salvador, France, Ivory Coast, and the USA.