About Sea Level NZ

Sea Level NZ is a data-driven platform designed to make New Zealand's sea level rise trends accessible and understandable to everyone. Launched in July 2019, this personal project transforms complex sea level data into interactive, user-friendly visualisations, empowering users to explore annual Mean Sea Level (MSL) changes, Vertical Land Movement (VLM) corrections, and Absolute Sea Level (ASL) rates across various New Zealand locations.

Inspired by global sea level resources like Sealevel.info., I built this site to provide a local perspective on sea level dynamics. As a physics graduate from the University of Auckland with a passion for data science and coding, I developed Sea Level NZ to combine rigorous scientific analysis with intuitive web-based tools, making environmental data both engaging and actionable for the public.

Behind the Scenes

Creating Sea Level NZ required a blend of data science, programming, and general IT knowledge. I leveraged the R and Python programming languages to process raw sea level datasets and also tools like MATLAB and the University of Hawaii’s SLP64 software for precise MSL calculations. The interactive custom R Shiny application I built enables users to perform polynomial fitting on sea level data, complete with statistical metrics such as p-values and R-squared values.

I built the site using modern web technologies, including HTML, Bootstrap, and JavaScript, ensuring a responsive and accessible user experience. I integrated Google's data visualisation library - Google Charts, to create the dynamic charts for each location.

Collaborating with organizations like Ports of Auckland Ltd, Wellington Regional Council, Lyttelton Port Company, Port Otago and the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL) has allowed me to source high-quality data for the site.

My background in physics underpins the analytical rigor of this project, complemented by my interest in data science and software development. I’ve worked on tasks like processing VLM corrections and managing data queries to ensure Sea Level NZ is a reliable and useful resource.

Mission and Vision

Sea Level NZ aims to bridge the gap between scientific research and public understanding. By presenting accurate, transparent, and interactive sea level data, the site encourages informed discussions about climate change and its local impacts. I’m passionate about advancing this work and am open to collaboration opportunities in sea level rise and climate change to help organisations address these critical challenges.

As the project evolves, I plan to incorporate advanced machine learning models to predict future sea level trends.

Thank you for visiting Sea Level NZ. If you have questions, feedback, or are interested in collaboration, feel free to get in touch.

Bryan.