NASA's New Online Tool Opens IPCC Data on Sea Level to Public, Aims To Influence Economic, Public Policy To Favor Environment

The NASA Sea Level Change Team released the 'Sea Level Projection Tool,' an online platform that opens the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) data to the public.

With the new online tool, scientists or anyone interested in learning, examining, or assessing climate data, can access the information they need, especially the extensive records of the IPCC over the years.

"What's new here is a tool that we are providing to the community, to distribute the latest climate knowledge produced by the IPCC and NASA scientists in an accessible and user-friendly way while maintaining scientific integrity," explained Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, NASA program scientist and manager who also directs the Sea Level Change science team, in a news release from the administration.

(Photo: NASA)

ALSO READ: Researcher Proposed New Approach to Monitoring Global Rise of Sea Levels

Critical Reliable Data Now Available Anytime, Anywhere

The Sea Level Projection Tool is available on the NASA Sea Level Change website. Users can choose from different levels and layers, such as the process, decades covered, and simulation scenario. The process allows users to choose a specific aspect of Sea Level, such as glaciers or Antarctica, or other specific processes such as the Land Water Storage or the Total Sea Level.

Various scenarios available are based on the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP), a list of projected scenarios used to provide a visualization of greenhouse gas emissions based on different climate policies. The SSP ranges from SSP1: Sustainability to SSP5: Fossil-Fueled Development.

Aside from providing the data needed on specific scenarios and projections, the Sea Level Projection Tool also empowers users to focus on specific processes that contribute to the continuing rise of the sea level. It also includes how water shifts its patterns or expands with the increasing temperature, in turn changing the overall water levels.

Projections Based on Latest IPCC Report

The projections currently available on the online NASA tool are based on the projections detailed in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report released last August 9. The projections and recommendations are the most updated understanding of climate change and the changes happening in our climate system.

According to Scientific Computing, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been providing global-scale assessments and projections of the Earth's climate every five to seven years, starting in 1988.

IPCC reports generally focus on changes in ice covers, temperature, greenhouse gas levels, and the sea level worldwide, drawing data from a combination of space satellites and various land and water-based sensing equipment.

Vinogradova Shiffer added that as the first data-delivery partnership between a federal agency and the IPCC, the Sea Level Projection tool could help open avenues and opportunities for future actions that could lead to knowledge sharing, open science, and easy access to the latest in climate science.

It could also help improve the climate resilience of nations, especially those that have a large coastal population and those who stand to lose more due to the rising sea levels.

"As communities across the country prepare for the impacts of sea level rise, access to good, clear data is key to helping save lives and livelihoods," added NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

He also believes that the new online tool would empower Americans and decision-makers with the relevant information for critical choices that could affect economic and public policy.