5/16/23, 8:44 AM Malaysia - Sea Level Rise | Climate Change Knowledge Portal

C O U N T RY

Malaysia
Explore historical and projected climate data, climate data by sector, impacts, key vulnerabilities and what adaptation measures are
being taken. Explore the overview for a general context of how climate change is affecting Malaysia.

CLIMATE CHANGE OVERVIEW (/COUNTRY/MALAYSIA/OVERVIEW)

COUNTRY SUMMARY (/COUNTRY/MALAYSIA)

CURRENT CLIMATE (/COUNTRY/MALAYSIA/CLIMATE-DATA-HISTORICAL)

Impacts > Sea Level Rise

CLIMATE PROJECTIONS (/COUNTRY/MALAYSIA/CLIMATE-DATA-PROJECTIONS)

EXTREMES (/COUNTRY/MALAYSIA/EXTREMES)
The systematic warming of the planet is directly causing global mean sea level to rise in two primary ways: (1) mountain glaciers
and polar ice sheets are increasingly melting and adding
VULNERABILITY water to the ocean, and (2) the warming of the water in the oceans leads
(/COUNTRY/MALAYSIA/VULNERABILITY)

to an expansion and thus increased volume. Global mean sea level has risen approximately 210–240 millimeters (mm) since 1880,
SEA LEVEL (/COUNTRY/MALAYSIA/IMPACTS-SEA-LEVEL-RISE)
with about a third coming in just the last two and a half decades. Currently, the annual rise is approximately 3mm per year.
SEA LEVEL RISE (/COUNTRY/MALAYSIA/IMPACTS-SEA-LEVEL-RISE)
Regional variations exist due to natural variability in regional winds and ocean currents, which can occur over periods of days to
months or even decades. But locally other factors can also play an important role, such as uplift (e.g. continued rebound from Ice
Age glacier weight) or subsidence of the ground, changes in water tables due to water extraction or other water management,
and even due to the effects from local erosion.

Rising sea levels create not only stress on the physical coastline, but also on coastal ecosystems. Saltwater intrusions can
contaminate freshwater aquifers, many of which sustain municipal and agricultural water supplies and natural ecosystems. As
global temperatures continue to warm, sea level will keep rising for a long time because there is a substantial lag to reaching an
equilibrium. The magnitude of the rise will depend strongly on the rate of future carbon dioxide emissions and future global
warming, and the speed might increasingly depend on the rate of glacier and ice sheet melting.

This page supports the exploration of our changing seas through analysis of Historical Sea Surface Temperatures and Historical
Sea Level Anomalies (satellite observations), and Future Sea Level Rise Projections (model-based). Projected Coastal Inundation
due to Mean Sea Level Rise and Projected Coastal Inundation due to Mean Sea Level Rise + Storm Surge show potential flood risk
maps across scenarios and though to 2150. 

Use the Dropdowns to select the variable, time period and scenario. Storm Surge can be turned 'on' using the toggle and volume
of storm surge can be selected along the slider under the map.

VARIABLE PERIOD
Historical Sea Level Anomaly 1993-Jan

Historical Sea Level Anomaly (1993-Jan), coastal Malaysia

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MONTHLY SEA LEVEL VARIATIONS (MM)

Observed anomalies relative to mean of 1993-2012

| | | | | | | | | | |

-250 -200 -150 -100 -50 0 50 100 150 200 250

Historical Sea Level for coastal Malaysia (1993-2015)

observed anomalies relative to mean of 1993-2012

140

120

100

80
Historical Sea Level Anomaly (mm)

60

40

20

-20

-40

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Month

Historical Sea Level Anomaly

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Historical Sea Level for coastal Malaysia (1993-2015)

observed anomalies relative to mean of 1993-2012

300
Average Historical Sea Level Anomaly

200

100

-100

1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016

Average Monthly Anomaly Average Annual Anomaly January

M A L AY S I A - C O U N T R Y S P E C I F I C I N F O R M AT I O N

Malaysia Climate Risk Country Profile (New) (https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/sites/default/files/2021-08/15868-WB_Malaysia%2

Updated First Nationally Determined Contribution (2021)

(https://www4.unfccc.int/sites/ndcstaging/PublishedDocuments/Malaysia%20First/Malaysia%20NDC%20Updated%20Submission%20to%20UN

Third Biennial Update Report (2020) (https://unfccc.int/documents/267685)

Third National Communication (2018) (https://unfccc.int/documents/182748)

PAG E S P EC I F I C R E S O U RC E S

Tool: WBG Resilience Rating System. A Methodology for Building and Tracking Resilience to Climate Change (2021)
(https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/35039)

IPCC Assessment Report 6 (AR6): Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2022 (https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-cycle/)

Tool: Climate and Disaster Risk Screening (WBG) (https://climatescreeningtools.worldbank.org/)

Report: Groundswell (WBG) (2018) (http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/846391522306665751/pdf/124719-v2-PUB-PUBLIC-docdate-

3-18-18WBG-ClimateChange-Final.pdf)

Climate Change Knowledge Portal

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