Warmer seas could cause faster melting of Polar ice leading to rising sea levels- study

Rapidly rising sea temperatures could melt West Antarctica’s ice shelves faster than previously thought leading to a worrying rise in global sea levels, say researchers at University of East Anglia.

Warming water under Antarctica’s ice shelves risks ice melting that could lead to a “worrying” rise in global sea levels, research has shown.

Loss of the Antarctic ice shelves, which extend from the southern Polar land mass over the underwater continental shelf, are likely to result in the glaciers behind them flowing more rapidly into the sea.

That would feed more melting ice into the oceans, pushing up sea levels.

Total melting of the West Antarctic ice sheet, which is close to the regions known to be warming, would raise global sea levels by 4.8 metres (15.7ft) - enough to have a severe impact on coastal populations.

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