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Contact

Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level
Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory
Joseph Proudman Building
6 Brownlow Street
Liverpool L3 5DA, UK.
Telephone: +44 (0)151-795-4800
Fax: +44 (0)151-795-4801
Email: [Contact form]

Staff contact details

Dr Lesley J. Rickards
Director of the PSMSL
0151 795 4897
Email

Kathy Gordon
Data Manager
0151 795 4915

Dr Simon Holgate
Sea Level Scientist
0151 795 4900

Dr Sveta Jevrejeva
Sea Level Scientist
0151 795 4899
[Webpage/Email]

Prof. Philip L. Woodworth
Sea Level Scientist
0151 795 4860
[Webpage/Email]

Related Links

Google Earth

Google Earth logo





The global network of tide gauges that contribute data to the PSMSL can be viewed using Google Earth. It is useful to see the spread of stations and compare the number of them in some areas relative to others. To view the network of stations you will have to follow these instructions - [More].

Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level

Welcome to the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL), hosted here at the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory (POL). The PSMSL was established in 1933, and is the global data bank for long term sea level change information from tide gauges. The PSMSL collect data from several hundred gauges situated all over the globe.

PSMSL 75th Anniversary: Sessions at the EGU 2008 and BA 2008

PSMSL 75 anniversary logo

The PSMSL is organising a special day 'Liverpool, Home of Sea Level Science: Sea Level Rise and Climate Change' at the September 2008 meeting of the British Association Festival of Science in Liverpool.

In addition, PSMSL is sponsoring the Geological Society's William Smith Meeting 2008. The title for this year's meeting is "Observations and Causes of Sea-Level Changes on Millennial to Decadal Timescales" and will occur 1-2 September 2008.

The PSMSL also organised a special Interdivision Session at the 2008 Assembly of the European Geophysical Union - more information.

PSMSL commentaries

We have started a page in which 'commentaries' of records in the data set can be posted for the interest of other users of the data set - more information.

Recent Events demonstrate need for sea level data

Two recent events highlight the need for sharing information on sea-level changes internationally: the Sumatra tsunami of December 2004 and the hurricane Katrina floods of August 2005. There are also scientific and public concerns about climate change and sea-level rise. The PSMSL is the global data bank for long-term sea-level information from tide gauages. It operates with the support of the International Council for Science. PSMSL's data holdings now total more than 54,000 station-years from around 2,000 stations, an increase of over 1,600 station-years during 2005-06.

International Polar Year

Picture od tida gauge in the Antarctica

The tide gauge at Vernadsky.

The International Polar Year (IPY, 2007-08) is focusing attention on making and using more measurements in the polar regions to better understand our current global climate and what may happen in the future. As part of the IPY, the PSMSL took the lead in 2005 in a proposal for sea-level measurements in the Arctic and Antarctic. The proposal was enthusiastically endorsed by our international partners and accepted by the IPY Committee.

PSMSL and Africa

There are major gaps in the global sea-level network in Africa, which need filling. PSMSL and the Inter-governmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) have co-operated in installing two new tide gauges at Pemba and Inhambane in Mozambique. They have also bought hardware for the first four of 12 new stations in Africa. These, based on radar and pressure gauge technology, will be part of the GLOSS/ODINAfrica programme.



The Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS)

GLOSS [logo]

GLOSS aims at the establishment of high quality global and regional sea level networks for application to climate, oceanographic and coastal sea level research.


PSMSL is a member of FAGS

FAGs [logo]

The PSMSL is a member of the Federation of Astronomical and Geophysical Data Analysis Services (FAGS).











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