Global sea level rise. Global map, centred on Africa, showing the total sea level changes over 22 years between 1992 and 2014, based on satellite data. The colour-coding shows where sea level has gone down (blue) and where it has gone up (orange/red). The ranges shown is plus/minus 7 centimetres. Since 1992, seas around the world have risen an average of around 7 centimetres. Sea level rises, caused by melting ice caps, climate change and global warming, have devastating effects on low-lying and coastal communities. This data was obtained by the oceanography and ocean surface topography satellites TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, and Jason-2.