R. Steven Nerem

University of Colorado

R. Steven Nerem

We propose to assess the sea level change predictions from each of the IPCC global climate models. We plan to compare observations of sea level change from satellite altimeter missions such as TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason, as well as tide gauge measurements, to sea level change predicted from the models. We have a time series of changes in global sea level from a sea level reconstruction that employs satellite altimetry and tide gauge data over 1930-2004. We plan to make comparisons of both global mean sea level, as well as the observed geographical patterns of sea level change over this time period. Sea level change can be a powerful constraint and corroboration on the performance of the climate models, and thus we feel we can make an important contribution to the IPCC assessment.