German scientists say that the melting glaciers of Antarctica may threaten coastal cities like New York with higher sea rise than previously thought. A new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research forecasts that Antarctica’s ice melt could raise sea levels between one and 37 centimeters (15 inches), if carbon emissions remain the same.
“This is a big range, which is exactly why we call it a risk,” Anders Levermann, the study’s lead author, said in a statement. “Science needs to be clear about the uncertainty so that decision makers at the coast and in coastal megacities can consider the implications in their planning processes.”
These estimates are more threatening than the previous numbers from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the study states. The addition of Antarctica to the threat of climate change was not predicted so soon, and researchers now believe it could become the largest force of sea-level rise. (Photo: Wikipedia)
