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Satellites can now monitor water levels on Earth.

New developments have allowed satellites to gain a more comprehensive picture of water levels in rivers, lakes and the seas. As water levels are more difficult to monitor than temperatures, this could be crucial to gaining a fuller understanding of the impacts of changing levels globally.

Launched in 2002, the Grace mission measures variance in the Earth’s gravity field. The field, which depends on the distribution of mass on the Earth, affects the speed of satellites in orbit.  By monitoring the speed of the satellites, the researchers can measure the change in mass of water and ice.

Data from the Grace mission indicates that since 1993, sea levels have been rising by 3.3 mm a year. This is double the rate recorded for the previous 50 years.

Commenting on the findings,  Anny Cazenave, from the Laboratoire d'Etudes en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiale (LEGOS) in Toulouse, said: "It could be that we are seeing a decadal fluctuation, and in the near future the rate will fall again, but I do not think so. For several years now, the rate of rise has not changed significantly."

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