Oceans last year reached their highest levels in three decades — with the rate of global sea level rise increasing around 35 percent higher than expected, according to a NASA-led analysis published Thursday.

In 2024, the global sea level rose by 5.9 millimetres. Scientists had only anticipated a rise of 4.3 millimetres. The sea level rose more than expected in 2024 due to the thermal expansion of seawater and the melting of ice caps and glaciers,

Sea levels rose even higher than anticipated last year, according to an analysis by NASA. Last year was the hottest on record for the planet — largely due to human-caused climate change — leading to a sea-level rise of nearly 0.