Sea levels not rising as quickly as expected

Los Angeles Times : Despite the melting of glaciers and ice sheets over the past decade and a half, sea levels have not risen as much as expected. According to scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the difference is due to the amount of moisture being absorbed by the continents. Using the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), which comprises two satellites nicknamed Tom and Jerry, John Reager and coworkers studied how the distribution of water causes the force of Earth’s gravity to wax and wane at various points on the planet’s surface. Drought in California, for instance, causes a decrease in gravity; a big flood elsewhere will increase the force of gravity. Because of an increase in rain and snowfall over land during the period 2002–2014, the continents have soaked up more water and thus have caused the rate of sea-level rise to slow. However, land can only absorb so much water. Humans will still need to cut their greenhouse gas emissions to slow glacial melt and concomitant sea-level rise.