and satellite data...
Data collected by a cadre of NASA satellites -- which change position in relation to one other as water and ice on the planet realign and affect gravity's tug -- reveal that the ocean's mass is increasing. This increase translates to a global sea level rise of about 1.9 millimeters (0.07 inches) per year, Nerem said.
At a news conference today (Aug. 26), NASA officials described a new computer visualization of sea level change incorporating data collected by satellites since 1992 — it reveals that sea levels are rising quickly but unevenly across the globe.
