Australia has the capacity to absorb enough water to temporarily halt long-term sea level rise.
Research led by the National Centre for Atmospheric Research found ocean levels dropped in 2010-2011 when three atmospheric patterns combined and drove large amounts of rain over the continent. That water did not make it back to the sea.
However more rain is now falling over tropical oceans, and paired with Australia’s current drought, sea levels are rising faster than before.
Read more at National Centre for Atmospheric Research