Sea rise could be ‘catastrophic’
23/3/2006 Greenland’s glaciers have been sliding faster towards the sea. A study in the US journal Science suggests a threshold triggering a rise in sea level of several metres could be reached before the end of the century. Scientists used an ancient period of warming to predict future changes. Greenland could be as warm by 2100 as it was 130,000 years ago, when melting ice raised sea levels by 3-4m. The implication is that Greenland would – eventually – melt by as much in response to present warming. The findings come from two studies published in Science by Dr Jonathan Overpeck, of the University of Arizona in Tucson, and colleagues. Their computer models show that, in addition to widespread melting of the Greenland ice sheet, this rate of warming could also lead to the collapse of about half of the West Antarctic ice sheet …