High Water Rising

Sea levels may rise much faster than previously predicted, swamping coastal cities such as Shanghai, study finds

Sareena Dayaram, May 21, 2019 (CNN)

“Global sea levels could rise more than two meters (6.6 feet) by the end of this century if emissions continue unchecked, swamping major cities such as New York and Shanghai and displacing up to 187 million people, a new study warns…[S]ea levels may rise much faster than previously estimated due to the accelerating melting of ice sheets in both Greenland and Antarctica…[I]n the worst case scenario under which global temperatures increase by 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100, sea levels could rise by more than two meters (6.6 feet) in the same period…The researchers found that under the extreme-case scenario, about 1.79 million square kilometers (691,120 sq miles) -- an area more than three times the size of California -- would be lost to the sea…[placing] up to 187 million people at risk, which is about 2.5% of the world's total population…

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[The chance of a worst-case scenario is about 5%, but] should not be discounted…[H]umankind had quite a narrow window of opportunity to avoid some of the worst consequences, such as very high sea level rise…The United Nations climate panel's last major report in 2013 predicted that sea levels would rise between 52 and 98 cm (20.4 inches and 38.5 inches) by 2100 at the current trajectory. But many experts saw those findings as conservative…Scientists are worried that the current models used to predict the influence of massive melting ice sheets have flaws, and fail to capture all of the uncertainties…Scientists say there is still time to avoid the worst if global greenhouse gas emissions are cut sharply in the coming decades…” click here for more

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