sea level
Sign in to saveaverage level for the surface of one or more of Earth's oceans
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Sea level is the average height of the ocean's surface, which serves as the standard reference point for measuring how high mountains are and how low valleys and other geographic features sit on Earth. Understanding sea level matters because it helps us map and navigate our world, and changes in sea level can affect coastal communities and ecosystems.
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This marker indicating sea level is situated between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea.
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datum – a standardised geodetic datum – that is used, for example, as a chart datum in cartography and marine navigation, or, in aviation, as the standard sea level at which atmospheric pressure is measured to calibrate altitude and, consequently, aircraft flight levels. A common and relatively straightforward mean sea-level standard is instead a long-term average of tide gauge readings at a particular reference location.