It is well established that sea level trends obtained from tide gauge records shorter than about 50-60 years are corrupted by interdecadal sea level variation. However, only a fraction (<25%) of="" even="" the="" long="" records="" exhibit="" globally="" consistent="" trends,="" because="" of="" vertical="" crustal="" movements.="" the="" coherent="" trends="" are="" from="" tide="" gauges="" not="" at="" collisional="" plate="" boundaries,="" and="" not="" located="" in="" or="" near="" areas="" deeply="" ice-covered="" during="" the="" last="" glaciation.="" douglas="" (1991),="" using="" ice-3g="" values="" for="" the="" postglacial="" (pgr)="" rebound="" correction,="" found="" 21="" usable="" records="" (minimum="" length="" 60="" years,="" average="" 76)="" in="" 9="" oceanographic="" groups="" that="" gave="" a="" mean="" trend="" for="" global="" sea="" level="" rise="" of="" 1.8="" mm/yr="" ±="" 0.1="" for="" the="" period="" 1880–1980.="" in="" that="" analysis,="" a="" significant="" inconsistency="" of="" pgr-corrected="" u.s.="" east="" coast="" trends="" was="" noted,="" but="" not="" resolved.="" now,="" even="" after="" eliminating="" those="" trends,="" more="" (24)="" long="" records="" (minimum="" 60="" years,="" average="" 83)="" are="" available,="" including="" series="" in="" the="" southern="" hemisphere="" not="" previously="" used.="" the="" mean="" trend="" of="" 9="" groups="" made="" up="" of="" the="" newly-selected="" records="" is="" also="" 1.8="" mm/yr="" ±="" 0.1="" for="" global="" sea="" level="" rise="" over="" the="" last="" 100+="" years.="" a="" somewhat="" smaller="" set="" of="" longer="" records="" in="" 8="" groups="" (minimum="" 70="" years,="" average="" 91)="" gives="" 1.9="" mm/yr="" ±="" 0.1="" for="" the="" mean="" trend.="" these="" values="" are="" about="" an="" order="" of="" magnitude="" larger="" than="" the="" average="" over="" the="" last="" few="" millennia.="" the="" recent="" (in="" historical="" terms)="" dramatic="" increase="" in="" the="" rate="" of="" global="" sea="" level="" rise="" has="" not="" been="" explained,="" and="" no="" acceleration="" during="" the="" last="" century="" has="" been="" detected.="" this="" situation="" requires="" additional="" investigation="" and="" confirmation.="" vlbi/gps/absolute="" gravity="" measurements="" of="" crustal="" motions="" can="" be="" employed="" to="" correct="" many="" long="" (60+="" years)="" tide="" gauge="" records="" not="" now="" usable="" because="" of="" vertical="" crustal="" movements,="" improving="" the="" geographic="" coverage="" of="" sea="" level="" trends.="" direct="" altimetric="" satellite="" determinations="" of="" global="" sea="" level="" rise="" from="" satellites="" such="" as="" topex/poseidon="" and="" its="" successors="" can="" provide="" an="" independent="" estimate="" in="" possibly="" a="" decade="" or="" so,="" and="" thereby="" ascertain="" whether="" or="" not="" there="" has="" been="" any="" recent="" change="" in="" the="" rate="" of="" global="" sea="" level="">