HOW MUCH AND HOW
FAST WILL GLOBAL SEA LEVEL RISE?
Pages 139-141 | Published online: 30 Apr 2018
The basic physics of how global warming contributes to
sea-level rise has long been understood, but new research gives us a clearer
picture of what to expect. Prior to the 1990s, most sea-level rise was
attributed to melting glaciers and the thermal expansion of warming ocean
waters. However, ice sheets such as those covering Greenland and Antarctica
have also begun to melt and play a significant role in raising ocean levels.
The author reviews the results of a number of recent studies. Two of them
conclude that the seas could rise by 3 or more feet by the year 2100, and one
argued that 5 feet or more by 2100 is a possibility. Exactly what happens, and
when, will be influenced by the degree to which humans reduce carbon emissions,
and the uncertain dynamics of the Antarctic ice sheet. Considerable sea-level
rise will occur as a consequence of the global warming humans have already
caused.
Enviado en red foroba
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