What are the connections between emissions, temperature change, and sea level rise?

There is strong evidence in the geologic record that global carbon dioxide levels, temperature levels, and sea levels have changed together through time. Human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gasses, are the dominant cause of increasing global temperatures since the industrial revolution. When concentrations of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere go up, temperatures also go up. As Earth warms, the ocean warms too, absorbing more than 90% of the increased atmospheric heat. When water warms, it expands — a process known as thermal expansion. This thermal expansion means that the volume of ocean water increases, which causes sea levels to rise. Rising air and ocean temperatures also cause glaciers and ice sheets to melt, which in turn increases the amount of water in the ocean. Both thermal expansion and melting land-based ice cause sea level to rise. Because the ocean is so large it retains heat for a long time. This means that even if global emissions and temperatures are reduced, sea levels will continue to rise for the coming decades and centuries.