The most serious assertion of the authors is that the PSMSL conspires to make [Revised Local Reference data] adjustments in an arbitrary way such that sea level appears to be rising faster than it really is. This assertion was picked up by several websites that are keen to comment negatively on climate-related research. It is an assertion that is completely unwarranted,” Dr. Lesley Rickards, the director of the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level, wrote in the journal.