Recent research from Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands has revealed that global coastal areas are experiencing higher sea levels than previously estimated. This discrepancy, highlighted in a Nature-published study, suggests a significant underestimation in current coastal hazard assessments due to the incomplete consideration of factors like ocean currents, winds, tides, and seawater temperature in traditional geoid models. The study indicates that coastal sea levels are underestimated by an average of 30cm (1ft) globally, with some regions, such as Southeast Asia, facing underestimations as high as one meter (3ft). This finding has substantial implications for climate change adaptation strategies, as more land and people are at risk sooner than anticipated.