– How do ocean levels rise unevenly?

Question

I’ve just learned that different parts of the ocean can have different levels. How does this work? If I drop water into a cup, the entire level of water in the cup rises. How is this not true for the ocean? Are their just parts of the ocean that are uneven? Where do they meet?

In: 84

Answer 1

Where a river empties into the sea it rises levels locally in part from the sheer amount of water, in part because it’s not salty and therefore lighter and can float on top of the seawater. Where strong currents meet the land they can pile water up against it raising the height