What is the dominant physical process driving the current rate of sea-level rise?

The dominant physical process driving the current rate of sea-level rise is thermal expansion of ocean water due to increasing global temperatures. Sea-level rise refers to the increase in the average height of the ocean's surface. As the ocean warms, the water molecules move faster and take up more space, causing the volume of the ocean to increase. This phenomenon is known as thermal expansion. The ocean has absorbed a significant portion of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, leading to a substantial warming of ocean water. This warming is not uniform; it varies with depth and location. The upper layers of the ocean have warmed more than the deeper layers, contributing significantly to thermal expansion. While melting glaciers and ice sheets also contribute to sea-level rise by adding water to the ocean, thermal expansion is currently the larger contributor. The relative contributions of thermal expansion and ice melt to sea-level rise can vary over time, but thermal expansion remains the dominant factor driving the overall trend in sea-level rise observed in recent decades.