We often hear reports that sea level is rising due to global warming but what is sea level and how is sea level measured? When it is stated that 'sea level is rising,' this usually refers to 'mean sea level,' which is the average sea level around the earth based on numerous measurements over a long period of time. The elevation of mountain peaks are measured as the height of the peak of the mountain above mean sea level.
Other major Nevada cities include Las Vegas, which has an elevation of 2,001 feet (610 m) and Henderson, which sits at a height of 1,867 feet (538 m) above sea level, meaning that Reno is much higher than both of these locations.
However, just like the surface of the land on our planet Earth, the surface of the oceans is not level either. The sea level on the West Coast of North America is usually about 8 inches higher than the sea level on the East Coast of North America. The surface of the ocean and its seas varies from place to place and from minute to minute based on many different factors. Local sea level can fluctuate because of high or low air pressure, storms, high and low tides, and snowmelt, rainfall and river flow into the oceans as part of the ongoing hydrologic cycle.
The standard 'mean sea level' around the world is usually based on 19 years of data that average out hourly readings of the sea level around the world. Because mean sea level is averaged around the world, using a GPS even near the ocean can result in confusing elevation data (i.e. you might be on a beach but your GPS or mapping app indicates an elevation of 100 feet or more). Again, the height of the local ocean can vary from the global average.
There are three primary reasons why sea level changes:
When sea level rises, river valleys become inundated with seawater and become estuaries or bays. Low-lying plains and islands are flooded and disappear under the sea. These are the primary concerns about climate change and rising mean sea level, which appears to be rising by about one-tenth of an inch (2 mm) each year. If climate change results in higher global temperatures, then glaciers and ice sheets (especially in Antarctica and Greenland) could melt, dramatically increasing sea levels. With warmer temperatures, there would be the expansion of the water in the ocean, further contributing to a rise in mean sea level. Sea level rise is also known as submergence since land above current mean sea level is drowned or submerged.
When the Earth enters a period of glaciation and sea levels drop, bays, gulfs, and estuaries dry up and become low-lying land. This is known as emergence when new land appears and the coastline is increased.
This is a list of United States states by alphabetical state. Elevation means the height of something above sea level. The highest point in the U.S. is Denali at 20,320 feet (6,194 m) above sea level. The lowest point on land in the U.S. is Badwater in Death Valley at 282 feet (86 m) below sea level.
State | Highest point | Lowest point | Average elevation | Elevation difference | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | ft | m | Location | ft | m | ft | m | ft | m | |
Alabama | Cheaha Mountain | 2405 | 733 | Gulf of Mexico | 0 | 0 | 500 | 150 | 2405 | 733 |
Alaska | Mount McKinley (Denali) | 20320 | 6198 | Pacific Ocean | 0 | 0 | 1900 | 580 | 20320 | 6198 |
Arizona | Humphreys Peak | 12633 | 3853 | Colorado River | 70 | 21 | 4100 | 1300 | 12563 | 3832 |
Arkansas | Magazine Mountain | 2753 | 840 | Ouachita River | 55 | 17 | 650 | 200 | 2698 | 823 |
California | Mount Whitney[1] | 14505 | 4421 | Death Valley | -282 | -86 | 2900 | 880 | 14776 | 4505 |
Colorado | Mount Elbert | 14440 | 4401 | Arikaree River | 3315 | 1010 | 6800 | 2100 | 11125 | 3391 |
Connecticut | Mount Frissell | 2380 | 726 | Long Island Sound | 0 | 0 | 500 | 150 | 2380 | 726 |
Delaware | Ebright Azimuth | 448 | 137 | Atlantic Ocean | 0 | 0 | 60 | 20 | 448 | 137 |
District of Columbia | Tenleytown | 410 | 125 | Potomac River | 1 | 0 | 150 | 50 | 409 | 125 |
Florida | Britton Hill | 345 | 105 | Atlantic Ocean | 0 | 0 | 100 | 30 | 345 | 105 |
Georgia | Brasstown Bald | 4784 | 1459 | Atlantic Ocean | 0 | 0 | 600 | 180 | 4784 | 1459 |
Hawaii | Mauna Kea | 13796 | 4208 | Pacific Ocean | 0 | 0 | 3030 | 920 | 13796 | 4208 |
Idaho | Borah Peak | 12668 | 3862 | Snake River | 710 | 217 | 5000 | 1500 | 11952 | 3645 |
Illinois | Charles Mound | 1235 | 377 | Mississippi River | 279 | 85 | 600 | 180 | 956 | 292 |
Indiana | Hoosier Hill | 1257 | 383 | Ohio River | 320 | 98 | 700 | 210 | 937 | 285 |
Iowa | Hawkeye Point | 1670 | 509 | Mississippi River | 480 | 146 | 1100 | 340 | 1190 | 363 |
Kansas | Mount Sunflower | 4039 | 1232 | Verdigris River | 679 | 207 | 2000 | 610 | 3360 | 1025 |
Kentucky | Black Mountain[1] | 4145 | 1263 | Mississippi River | 257 | 78 | 750 | 230 | 3888 | 1185 m |
Louisiana | Driskill Mountain | 535 | 163 | New Orleans | -8 | -2 | 100 | 30 | 543 | 165 |
Maine | Mount Katahdin | 5267 | 1606 | Atlantic Ocean | 0 | 0 | 600 | 180 | 5267 | 1606 |
Maryland | Backbone Mountain | 3360 | 1025 | Atlantic Ocean | 0 | 0 | 350 | 110 | 3360 | 1025 |
Massachusetts | Mount Greylock | 3487 | 1064 | Atlantic Ocean | 0 | 0 | 500 | 150 | 3487 | 1064 |
Michigan | Mount Arvon | 1979 | 604 | Lake Erie | 571 | 174 | 900 | 280 | 1408 | 430 |
Minnesota | Eagle Mountain | 2301 | 702 | Lake Superior | 601 | 183 | 1200 | 366 | 1700 | 519 |
Mississippi | Woodall Mountain | 806 | 246 | Gulf of Mexico | 0 | 0 | 300 | 90 | 806 | 246 |
Missouri | Taum Sauk Mountain | 1772 | 540 | Saint Francis River | 230 | 70 | 800 | 240 | 1542 | 470 |
Montana | Granite Peak | 12799 | 3904 | Kootenai River | 1800 | 549 | 3400 | 1000 | 10999 | 3355 |
Nebraska | Panorama Point | 5424 | 1654 | Missouri River | 840 | 256 | 2600 | 790 | 4584 | 1398 |
Nevada | Boundary Peak | 13140 | 4007 | Colorado River | 479 | 146 | 5500 | 1700 | 12661 | 3861 |
New Hampshire | Mount Washington | 6288 | 1918 | Atlantic Ocean | 0 | 0 | 1000 | 300 | 6288 | 1918 |
New Jersey | High Point | 1803 | 550 | Atlantic Ocean | 0 | 0 | 250 | 80 | 1803 | 550 |
New Mexico | Wheeler Peak | 13161 | 4014 | Red Bluff Reservoir | 2842 | 867 | 5700 | 1700 | 10319 | 3147 |
New York | Mount Marcy | 5344 | 1630 | Atlantic Ocean | 0 | 0 | 1000 | 300 | 5344 | 1630 |
North Carolina | Mount Mitchell | 6684 | 2039 | Atlantic Ocean | 0 | 0 | 700 | 210 | 6684 | 2039 |
North Dakota | White Butte | 3506 | 1069 | Red River | 750 | 229 | 1900 | 580 | 2756 | 840 |
Ohio | Campbell Hill | 1549 | 472 | Ohio River | 455 | 139 | 850 | 260 | 1094 | 333 |
Oklahoma | Black Mesa | 4973 | 1517 | Little River | 289 | 88 | 1300 | 400 | 4684 | 1429 |
Oregon | Mount Hood | 11239 | 3428 | Pacific Ocean | 0 | 0 | 3300 | 1000 | 11239 | 3428 |
Pennsylvania | Mount Davis | 3213 | 980 | Delaware River | 0 | 0 | 1100 | 340 | 3213 | 980 |
Rhode Island | Jerimoth Hill | 812 | 248 | Atlantic Ocean | 0 | 0 | 350 | 110 | 812 | 248 |
South Carolina | Sassafras Mountain | 3560 | 1086 | Atlantic Ocean | 0 | 0 | 350 | 110 | 3560 | 1086 |
South Dakota | Harney Peak | 7242 | 2209 | Big Stone Lake | 966 | 295 | 2200 | 670 | 6276 | 1914 |
Tennessee | Clingmans Dome | 6643 | 2026 | Mississippi River | 178 | 54 | 900 | 280 | 6465 | 1972 |
Texas | Guadalupe Peak | 8749 | 2668 | Gulf of Mexico | 0 | 0 | 1700 | 520 | 8749 | 2668 |
Utah | Kings Peak | 13528 | 4126 | Beaver Dam Wash | 2000 | 610 | 6100 | 1860 | 11528 | 3516 |
Vermont | Mount Mansfield | 4393 | 1340 | Lake Champlain | 95 | 29 | 1000 | 300 | 4298 | 1311 |
Virginia | Mount Rogers | 5729 | 1747 | Atlantic Ocean | 0 | 0 | 950 | 290 | 5729 | 1747 |
Washington | Mount Rainier | 14410 | 4395 | Pacific Ocean | 0 | 0 | 1700 | 520 | 14410 | 4395 |
West Virginia | Spruce Knob | 4861 | 1483 | Potomac River | 240 | 73 | 1500 | 460 | 4621 | 1410 |
Wisconsin | Timms Hill | 1951 | 595 | Lake Michigan | 579 | 177 | 1050 | 320 | 1372 | 418 |
Wyoming | Gannett Peak | 13804 | 4210 | Belle Fourche River | 3099 | 945 | 6700 | 2044 | 10705 | 3265 |
Mount McKinley, highest point in the United States
The states with the highest mean elevation are near the Rocky Mountains.
Death Valley, California
lowest point
A Florida freshwatermarsh. Florida has the smallest difference from lowest point to highest point