How Much Will Vanishing Glaciers Raise Sea Levels?
Some say high, some say low, some say fast, some say slow Greenland, the world’s largest island, holds enough ice to raise global sea levels by 23 feet (seven meters). Add the ice sheets of Antarctica and the oceans would deepen more than 200 feet (60 meters). Satellite measurements from space and speed measurements on land confirm that Greenland’s glaciers are melting and on the move. And although the picture is less clear in Antarctica, the global warming seems to be having an impact there, too. So the question is: How much-and how soon-will sea level rise? New research from glaciologist Tad Pfeffer of the University of Colorado at Boulder and colleagues published in Science attempts to better estimate the possible sea level rise over the next century by measuring the speed at which the world’s glaciers-in Greenland and Antarctica but also the many mountain ice sheets throughout the globe-are actually speeding to the sea as well as how swiftly they may melt… More… (September 5, 2
