MSL Full Form

What is the full form of MSL?

Mean Sea Level is the full form of MSL. Mean sea level is the standard for measuring elevation and altitude.The median elevation of this sea at high and low tide has been calculated as Median sea level.The average sea level over a given surface for measuring elevation and depth on Earth is defined as Mean sea level. The term mean refers to the mathematical centre or average value. In other words, the mean sea level is a geometrical calculation of the position of the sea over a given period of the time, regardless of its position.

Sea level rise

Sea level rise is the increase in the sea level or ocean levels due to global warming. The melting of ice sheets and glaciers, as well as the expansion of sea water as it warms, are the primary causes of sea level rise. Pollution is a major contributor to global warming because it releases carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. The ocean absorbs the majority of this heat, and the ocean water warms. As a result the ocean begins to expand, there is rising water and sea level rises.

Measuring sea level using Tide Gauge

Measuring sea level using Tide Gauge is an old technique. Today the technology has changed but the principles are the same as before. Sea level is often measured locally by the tide gauge that detects high and low points in a given period of time. Local tide gauges are particularly useful for people who work or play along the coast and need to know what the water level ranges will be. These data points are also important for detecting water levels during storms and other events as well as in the long term investigation of relative water level changes that rise or fall. This also helps to detect tsunamis.

Effect of height above the mean sea level on climate

The height above the sea level of an area affects the climate there in several ways.Firstly, as we go from lower to higher elevations the ambient temperature decreases. Because the sun warms the Earth's surface, heat is reflected upward and heat energy is lost as we ascend. Second, as the ascend elevation, the air becomes less dense. The atmospheric pressure decreases, as does the oxygen content of the atmosphere. Because of the decrease in atmospheric pressure, higher elevations experience more precipitation.

What are the current causes of current global sea level rise?

Changes in global sea level are caused by either changes in ocean volume or changes in ocean mass. Ocean volume change is associated with thermal expansion of the ocean, as the ocean water warms up it expands, increasing the volume of the global ocean producing a sea level rise. The change in the ocean mass is primarily due to glacier and ice sheet melting, with some contribution from waters stored in continental reservoirs or groundwater extraction.