NASA: La Niña Temporarily Slowed Sea-Level Rise in 2025
The Good Signal
Editor
A NASA/JPL analysis found global mean sea level rose just 0.08 cm in 2025—likely because La Niña shifted more water onto land via increased rainfall. The long-term trend is still up, but this shows how Earth’s climate cycle can create short-term breathers in t
NASA researchers found global mean sea level rose 0.03 inches (0.08 cm) in 2025—much lower than 0.23 inches (0.59 cm) in 2024. The key driver appears to be La Niña, which can shift water from the ocean onto land via increased rainfall, temporarily reducing the amount of water in the seas.
Why it matters
Sea level rise is a long-term trend driven largely by ocean warming (thermal expansion) and melting land ice. But the year-to-year "wiggles" in the curve matter too: they help scientists validate models, understand Earth’s water cycle, and separate short-term variability from long-term change.
This is a good signal for measurement quality: we’re able to detect and explain subtle changes using decades of satellite data.
What this doesn’t mean
This does not mean sea level rise is "stopping." NASA notes that faster rise is likely to resume as water stored on land returns to the ocean.
How NASA measures this
The analysis relies on more than 30 years of satellite observations, starting with TOPEX/Poseidon and continuing through the Sentinel-6 missions, which serve as reference measurements for sea level monitoring.
References
- NASA Science Photojournal — "NASA Analysis Shows La Niña Limited Sea Level Rise in 2025" (Jan 29, 2026): https://science.nasa.gov/photojournal/nasa-analysis-shows-la-nina-limited-sea-level-rise-in-2025/
- NASA/JPL Sea Level — TOPEX/Poseidon mission summary: https://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/topex-poseidon/summary/
- NASA/JPL Sea Level — Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich mission summary: https://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/jason-cs-sentinel-6/summary/
- NOAA education background on ENSO (El Niño / La Niña): https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/weather-atmosphere/el-nino
Notes
This article was expanded by the maintenance workflow to improve depth and readability.
Related articles
Continue the investigation
Scientists Unlock the Secret of Earth's Most Effective Natural Carbon Vaults
Northwestern University researchers reveal how a common rust-like iron mineral called ferrihydrite stores carbon with astonishing efficiency, offering new pathways for climate mitigation through natural soil chemistry.
Thwaites Glacier: A Lost Drill, a Valuable Measurement, and Why ‘Under‑Ice’ Data Matters
A recent Thwaites Glacier drilling attempt lost instruments under the ice—but still produced rare measurements of the warming water beneath. For climate risk, these under‑ice observations are the difference between guesswork and credible sea‑level forecasts.
Webb Data Ruled Out Asteroid 2024 YR4’s 2032 Lunar Impact Scenario
New Webb observations extended the object’s tracking arc and removed remaining uncertainty about a possible 2032 Moon impact.
Written by The Good Signal
Surfacing signals of progress in a noisy world — practical, verifiable, and forward-looking stories.