sea level
Altitude's starting point
Sea level is the average height of the ocean's surface, used as the baseline for measuring elevation and depth.
Heights are expressed as above or below sea level: Denver sits a mile above sea level.
The term appears in discussions of climate change, where rising sea levels threaten coastal areas.
Single unit of information
- benchmarkStandard for comparison
- referenceDirecting attention elsewhere
- elevationHeight above reference point
- altitudeMeasured height above reference
geoid · topography · bathymetry · contour · surveying · gravimetry · hydrography · soundings
Act of ascending
- thermal expansionVolume increase from warming
- glaciersSlow-moving ice masses
- meltingSolid-to-liquid transition
- ice capsFrozen masses covering poles
flooding · coastal erosion · inundation · subsidence · storm surge · displacement · tipping point · ice sheets
Of the shoreline
- littoralRelating to seashores
- tidalOf sea rhythms
- low-lyingNear the ground
- shorelineLand-water boundary
beach · delta · atoll · island · peninsula · continental shelf · ocean basin · seafloor
Data shown visually
- depthDistance below surface
- fathomNautical depth unit
- soundingDepth measurement technique
- buoyTethered nautical signal
lighthouse · tide tables · pilotage · mariner · GPS · latitude · longitude · hydrographic
datum
Single unit of information
- benchmarkStandard for comparison
- referenceDirecting attention elsewhere
- elevationHeight above reference point
altitude · geoid · topography · bathymetry · contour · surveying · gravimetry · hydrography · soundings · calibration
rising
Act of ascending
- thermal expansionVolume increase from warming
- glaciersSlow-moving ice masses
- meltingSolid-to-liquid transition
ice caps · flooding · coastal erosion · inundation · subsidence · storm surge · displacement · tipping point · ice sheets · Greenland
coastal
Of the shoreline
shoreline · beach · delta · atoll · island · peninsula · continental shelf · ocean basin · seafloor · submarine
chart
Data shown visually
buoy · lighthouse · tide tables · pilotage · mariner · GPS · latitude · longitude · hydrographic · nautical
- Earthearth, Earth, globe, continent, axis
- climateclimate change, climate, weather, global warming, temperature
- altitudehigh altitude, low altitude, cruising altitude, elevation gain, ceiling
- altitude termsfeet, meters, elevation, summit elevation, depth
- Atmospheric Sciencepressure, temperature, humidity, altitude, troposphere
- environmental dataair quality index, climate data, weather data, temperature rise, greenhouse gases
sea levelhigh altitude
Great distance upward
summit · mountaintop · high elevation · cruising altitude · ocean floor
sea levelMount Everest
Earth's highest summit
Himalayan peaks · mountain summit · Mariana Trench · K2 · Denali
level, sea, seaside, seashore, seas, levels, seawater, leveled, seafaring