Needlenose

It seems like every news story involving global warming involves the phrase “faster than previously expected,” and this latest bleak update on the accelerating loss of Antarctic ice is no exception.  Too lazy to read the article?  Here is the bleak bit:

A 2007 IPCC report predicted a sea level rise of 7 to 23 inches (18 to 58 centimeters) by the end of the century, which could flood low-lying areas and force millions to flee. The group said an additional 3.9 to 7.8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) rise was possible if the recent, surprising melting of polar ice sheets continues.

Summerhayes said the rise could be much higher.

“If the west Antarctica sheet collapses, then we’re looking at a sea level rise of between 1 meter and 1.5 meters (3 feet, 4 inches to nearly 5 feet),” Summerhayes said.

Stumble it!

Tags: antarctica, global warming, sea level rise

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 25th, 2009 at 10:29 am by greenboy and is filed under Boiling the Planet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.