Melting ice sheets threaten defences
Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
Sea levels could rise by as much as 1.4 metres (4.6 feet) by 2100 – more than twice previous estimates – according to new studies showing that one of the Antarctic's massive ice sheets is more vulnerable to melting than previously thought.
This would inundate many densely-populated regions, as well as threaten the flood defences of many coastal cities from San Francisco to St Petersburg, in addition to posing an insurmountable problem for low-lying island states where there is nowhere else for their populations to go.
Scientists said yesterday that the base of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which sits on rock beneath sea level, is being undermined by warmer sea temperatures that could accelerate melting and lead to higher-than-expected global sea levels.
The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research said that the latest assessment of climate change in the southernmost continent suggests that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is more susceptibile to disintegrating as a result of rising temperatures in the surrounding southern ocean than was previously thought.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments