The World Meteorological Organization says the global average sea level reached a new record high in 2021, after rising more than 10 centimeters over the past 30 years.

This year's WMO State of the Global Climate report was released on Wednesday. The report is based on data provided by weather authorities and research institutions from around the world.

The report says that between 1993 and 2021, the global average sea level rose 10.2 centimeters and the pace of rise has recently been accelerating.

The report says this is mainly because ice mass from the ice sheets in the South Pole and elsewhere melted and flowed into the sea, resulting in a larger volume of sea water.

The WMO warns that rising sea levels can have major implications for hundreds of millions of coastal residents.

At a news conference, WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas noted that the global average sea level rose about two millimeters per year 20 years ago. But he said that the sea level increased at an average 4.5 millimeters per year in recent years, warning of the record rate of increase.

The latest report is likely to influence discussions at the COP 27 conference scheduled to be held in Egypt this year.