How are sea levels rising faster in some places?

As our oceans warm, sea levels are rising. It ought to be straightforward – as water gets warmer, it increases in volume.

So if all the world’s oceans are connected, how come sea levels are rising at different rates around the world, and even falling in some places? CrowdScience listener Alison in Australia wants to know the science behind the mystery.

Presenter Anand Jagatia travels to the Philippines to try to find out. The country is being particularly affected by the issue, with its more than 7,500 islands experiencing sea level rises that are double the global average.

On Palawan Island, in the east of the country, he speaks to local people whose homes and livelihoods are being put at risk by rising waters.

He also visits the Philippine Coastguard in Manila to hear how their work is being affected by sea level rises and the flooding it causes.

Dr Charina Lyn Repollo from the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute shows Anand how they monitor sea levels at dozens of locations. Their data shows huge variations in sea level across the country. How can that be the case?

And how do we protect people from rising waters? Dr Rodel Diaz Lasco from the Oscar M. Lopez Center for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management, explains how global collaboration might hold the key.