Sea level rise from the current rate of ice sheet melt in Antarctica and Greenland present "worst-case climate change scenario," researchers say. (Photo: Jadeo/Pixabay)
Sep 03, 2020
The lives and homes of sixteen million people living in coastal areas around the world could be threatened by the current rate of ice-melt in Antarctica and Greenland, which tracks with the "worst-case scenario" put forward by global scientists.
Researchers at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom and the Danish Meteorological Institute released a study this week showing that the scenario the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned about is coming true as the melting of ice has accelerated in recent years, with sea levels rising 1.8 centimeters or 0.7 inches since the 1990s.
"The rate at which they are melting has accelerated faster than we could have imagined."
--Dr. Tom Slater, University of Leeds
Over the last five years, the study shows, melting ice has overtaken thermal expansion--in which the volume of sea water grows as it gets warmer--as the primary driver of sea level rise.
The alarming findings of the study, published Monday in Nature Climate Change, follows research published by Ohio State University last month, which showed that Greenland's ice melt has passed the "point of no return," and even redoubled efforts to stop the warming of the globe by ending fossil fuel extraction will not be enough to stem looming catastrophe.
If Greenland's ice sheet were to disintegrate entirely, the study published this week said, sea levels would rise more than 22 feet.
The loss of Antarctica would cause sea levels to rise 190 feet.
The complete loss of the two ice masses is not currently anticipated by scientists, but the current melting rate could add 17 centimeters, or more than six inches, to sea levels by the end of the century.
"Although we anticipated the ice sheets would lose increasing amounts of ice in response to the warming of the oceans and atmosphere, the rate at which they are melting has accelerated faster than we could have imagined," said Dr. Tom Slater, lead author of the study.
The expected sea level rise has significant implications for coastal cities and towns around the world, the authors said, and humanity is currently "in danger of being unprepared" for the impacts.
The effects of the current rate of ice-melt could be "calamitous" even in the next two decades, tweeted climate campaigner Ben See in response to the study.
\u201cThe melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica "is overtaking the climate models we use to guide us, and we are in danger of being unprepared for the risks posed by sea level rise."\n\nThere's a risk of calamitous sea level rise of 0.5m by the 2040s.https://t.co/nsigFrQbSq\u201d— Ben See (@Ben See) 1598895425
The expected change in sea levels by the end of the century would be "enough to double the frequency of storm-surge flooding in many of the world's largest coastal cities," said Dr. Anna Hogg, co-author of the study.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The lives and homes of sixteen million people living in coastal areas around the world could be threatened by the current rate of ice-melt in Antarctica and Greenland, which tracks with the "worst-case scenario" put forward by global scientists.
Researchers at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom and the Danish Meteorological Institute released a study this week showing that the scenario the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned about is coming true as the melting of ice has accelerated in recent years, with sea levels rising 1.8 centimeters or 0.7 inches since the 1990s.
"The rate at which they are melting has accelerated faster than we could have imagined."
--Dr. Tom Slater, University of Leeds
Over the last five years, the study shows, melting ice has overtaken thermal expansion--in which the volume of sea water grows as it gets warmer--as the primary driver of sea level rise.
The alarming findings of the study, published Monday in Nature Climate Change, follows research published by Ohio State University last month, which showed that Greenland's ice melt has passed the "point of no return," and even redoubled efforts to stop the warming of the globe by ending fossil fuel extraction will not be enough to stem looming catastrophe.
If Greenland's ice sheet were to disintegrate entirely, the study published this week said, sea levels would rise more than 22 feet.
The loss of Antarctica would cause sea levels to rise 190 feet.
The complete loss of the two ice masses is not currently anticipated by scientists, but the current melting rate could add 17 centimeters, or more than six inches, to sea levels by the end of the century.
"Although we anticipated the ice sheets would lose increasing amounts of ice in response to the warming of the oceans and atmosphere, the rate at which they are melting has accelerated faster than we could have imagined," said Dr. Tom Slater, lead author of the study.
The expected sea level rise has significant implications for coastal cities and towns around the world, the authors said, and humanity is currently "in danger of being unprepared" for the impacts.
The effects of the current rate of ice-melt could be "calamitous" even in the next two decades, tweeted climate campaigner Ben See in response to the study.
\u201cThe melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica "is overtaking the climate models we use to guide us, and we are in danger of being unprepared for the risks posed by sea level rise."\n\nThere's a risk of calamitous sea level rise of 0.5m by the 2040s.https://t.co/nsigFrQbSq\u201d— Ben See (@Ben See) 1598895425
The expected change in sea levels by the end of the century would be "enough to double the frequency of storm-surge flooding in many of the world's largest coastal cities," said Dr. Anna Hogg, co-author of the study.
The lives and homes of sixteen million people living in coastal areas around the world could be threatened by the current rate of ice-melt in Antarctica and Greenland, which tracks with the "worst-case scenario" put forward by global scientists.
Researchers at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom and the Danish Meteorological Institute released a study this week showing that the scenario the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned about is coming true as the melting of ice has accelerated in recent years, with sea levels rising 1.8 centimeters or 0.7 inches since the 1990s.
"The rate at which they are melting has accelerated faster than we could have imagined."
--Dr. Tom Slater, University of Leeds
Over the last five years, the study shows, melting ice has overtaken thermal expansion--in which the volume of sea water grows as it gets warmer--as the primary driver of sea level rise.
The alarming findings of the study, published Monday in Nature Climate Change, follows research published by Ohio State University last month, which showed that Greenland's ice melt has passed the "point of no return," and even redoubled efforts to stop the warming of the globe by ending fossil fuel extraction will not be enough to stem looming catastrophe.
If Greenland's ice sheet were to disintegrate entirely, the study published this week said, sea levels would rise more than 22 feet.
The loss of Antarctica would cause sea levels to rise 190 feet.
The complete loss of the two ice masses is not currently anticipated by scientists, but the current melting rate could add 17 centimeters, or more than six inches, to sea levels by the end of the century.
"Although we anticipated the ice sheets would lose increasing amounts of ice in response to the warming of the oceans and atmosphere, the rate at which they are melting has accelerated faster than we could have imagined," said Dr. Tom Slater, lead author of the study.
The expected sea level rise has significant implications for coastal cities and towns around the world, the authors said, and humanity is currently "in danger of being unprepared" for the impacts.
The effects of the current rate of ice-melt could be "calamitous" even in the next two decades, tweeted climate campaigner Ben See in response to the study.
\u201cThe melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica "is overtaking the climate models we use to guide us, and we are in danger of being unprepared for the risks posed by sea level rise."\n\nThere's a risk of calamitous sea level rise of 0.5m by the 2040s.https://t.co/nsigFrQbSq\u201d— Ben See (@Ben See) 1598895425
The expected change in sea levels by the end of the century would be "enough to double the frequency of storm-surge flooding in many of the world's largest coastal cities," said Dr. Anna Hogg, co-author of the study.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.