The term DIST. ABOVE SEA LEVEL can be solved by the crossword solutions ELEV (4 letters) and ALT (3 letters). ELEV is an abbreviation for elevation, which is the height of a location above sea level. ALT is an abbreviation for altitude, which is the vertical distance between a location and a reference point, usually sea level. Therefore, both ELEV and ALT are used to describe the distance of a location above sea level.