English: From the cited public-domain source: "Even though the oceans are all connected, sea level does not rise or fall uniformly over the planet. The map above shows where average sea level in 2011 was above or below the long-term average. Places where sea level rose up to 8 inches higher than the 1993-2011 average are dark blue, average levels are white, and places where sea level fell below average are brown.

The brown dominating the central and eastern Pacific Ocean and the intense blue near the South Pacific Islands mirror the La Niña pattern that persisted throughout much of the year. During La Niña years, strong easterly winds drive warm water westward; thermal expansion in these warm waters raises sea level in the western Pacific. On the eastern side of the ocean, the strong easterly winds draw a flow of colder, deeper water to the surface. The cooler waters have a smaller volume, and so sea level is lower there.

This year, global sea levels actually dipped below the long-term trend of rising sea levels that has been observed in the past few decades But by late in the year, as La Niña began to phase out, global waters were rising sharply once again."