Global mean sea-level has risen by more than 3 centimeters per decade since precise satellite measurements began in the 1990s. A good third of this rise is due to thermal expansion of the warming ocean. Nearly two thirds are due to water masses added to the ocean, mainly through melting of glaciers and the two ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. The melting has increased since the 1990-s, thereby speeding up sea-level rise. Another addition of water to the ocean results from a decrease of water storage on land, mainly due to groundwater depletion caused by human water abstractions.
