On East Coast, sea levels lean southward

Slope direction resolves decades-long dispute

Geoid visualization

UNEVEN EARTH  Sea levels along the East Coast slope downward to the north. The finding is based on calculations of the rises and falls of Earth’s oceans in the absence of tides, winds and currents. This natural shape of the ocean, known as the geoid, is shown here with exaggerated bumps.

Goddard Space Flight CenterScientific Visualization Studio/NASA

Sea levels along North America’s East Coast tilt downward as you travel north up the coastline, concludes new research to be published in Geophysical Research Letters.