Sea-level data from tide gauges and satellite altimetry show a decrease of nearly 40% in the sea-level drop between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean from 1994 to 1997, coming mainly from a rapid rise of western Mediterranean sea-level by more than 10 mm/year. A decrease in the sea-level difference across the Strait, coincident with this Mediterranean rise, indicates that the surface inflow is reduced by an amount dynamically consistent with the change along the strait. These secular changes are accompanied by a seasonal cycle in the sea-level drop between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, which indicates a seasonal flipping of hydraulic exchange states in the Strait of Gilbraltar. Thus, we suggest the sea-level rise in the Mediterranean is a consequence of a changing exchange flow through the Strait of Gibraltar, driven indirectly by changing conditions in the Mediterranean. ¿ 2000 American Geophysical Union