Nice Work, National Review, Study Does Debunk Accelerating Sea Level Rise Claims
By
Linnea Lueken
September 10, 2025
A recent article by the National Review (NR), “First-of-Its-Kind Study Finds Sea Level Rise Has Not Accelerated Because of Climate Change,” reports on a paper which looked primarily at real world data rather than modeling and found no acceleration in sea level rise. This tracks with other research showing the same, and provides counter-evidence which makes satellite-measured acceleration look more like an artefact of changed measurement devices rather than a genuine trend.
The NR article is paywalled, but goes into detail about a new peer-reviewed Dutch study published in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. NR reports that the study “was conducted as an analysis of more than 200 tide-gauge stations worldwide, cuts against the long-standing belief among climate scientists that climate change is leading to rapidly accelerating sea level rise.”
The study found that the average rate of sea level rise in 2020 was just 15 centimeters per century. The authors, Hessel Voortman and Rob de Vos, did a literature review in advance of their study and were surprised to find that no one else had done one like it. Voortman explained in a press release reported in NR that sea levels have fluctuated over time, and that if you start your trend in the early 90s, there is a supposed acceleration, but drawing back in time reveals that it is likely only temporary. He explained that while “
oth measurements and projections are important sources of information,” one needs to be careful in understanding the difference between the two. Voortman cautions colleagues that they should not be overly reliant on model projections.
https://climaterealism.com/2025/09/nice-work-national-review-study-does-debunk-accelerating-sea-level-rise-claims/
