Fact check: In Norway, land is rising faster than sea level is rising

The claim: Post implies falling sea level in Norway shows global sea levels aren't rising

A Jan. 24 Facebook video (direct link, archive link) shows an authentic National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration graph that reports the relative sea level in Oslo, Norway, has dropped about one foot over the last 100 years.

"In this new feature from the Climate Discussion Nexus, we check claims of relentless sea level rise against actual data," reads the video's caption.

The video was viewed more than 3,000 times in a month.

Some commenters suggested the situation in Oslo is evidence that global sea level rise isn't really happening.

"Did the man-made global warming fearmongers not predict that several Cities would be under water by now? It's all a scam folks," wrote one commenter.

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Our rating: Missing context

The implied claim is wrong. While NOAA data does show the sea level in Oslo is falling relative to the land, this is only because the land is rising. Sea levels are also rising in the area, just not as fast as the land. Global sea levels are rising, according to the NOAA.

Sea level is rising in Norway, but land is rising faster

Land rises and falls as it rebounds from the weight of glaciers that disappeared after the last ice age, a phenomenon called glacial isostatic adjustment. In Norway, this process is causing land to rise by about 20 inches per century, according to Martin Stendel, a climate scientist at Danish Meteorological Institute.

This rebounding is outpacing sea level rise in the area, which has been about 8 inches over the last hundred years, he told USA TODAY in an email.

"Sea level in Oslo is rising, but the uplift of land has been faster," Stendel said. "If the glacial isostatic adjustment is taken into account, sea levels are rising everywhere in Norway, including Oslo. This is due to man-made climate change."

A 2015 Norwegian Centre for Climate Services publication also reported sea level rise in Oslo after accounting for glacial isostatic adjustment.

While the amount of relative local sea level rise varies in different places due to glacial isostatic adjustment and other processes, NOAA reports that average global sea levels have risen between 8 and 9 inches since 1880.

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USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment.

Australian Associated Press also fact-checked the claim and found it to be "misleading."

Our fact-check sources:

• Martin Stendel, Feb. 20, Email exchange with USA TODAY

• NOAA Tides and Currents, accessed Feb. 20, Sea level trends

• NOAA, accessed Feb. 20, What is glacial isostatic adjustment?

• NOAA, April 19, 2022, Climate Change: Global Sea Level

• NOAA, accessed Feb. 21, Relative sea level trend Oslo, Norway

• NASA Vital Signs of the Planet, accessed Feb. 20, Causes

• NASA Vital Signs of the Planet, accessed Feb. 21, Sea level

• The Geological Society of America, August 2015, Pleistocene relative sea levels in the Chesapeake Bay region and their implications for the next century

• Norwegian Centre for Climate Services, Sept. 9, 2015, Sea Level Change in Norway

• Yale Environment 360, March 22, 2010, The Secret of Sea Level Rise: It Will Vary Greatly By Region

• Australian Associated Press, Feb. 16, Oslo sea level claim is in choppy waters

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: In Norway, land is rising faster than sea level