March 19th, 2009
Fancy a little water over lower Manhattan?
At one extreme there’s the possibility that warmer oceans will melt the entire ice sheet along Antarctica’s western edge. Scientists say that would raise the global sea levels by five meters, that’s about sixteen feet. That’s above the front door on many Manhattan office buildings. Not to mention what would be the former site of Venice, either Italy or California.
The new research indicates a 5 degree Centigrade ocean temperature increase would likely lead to the disintegration of the entire West Antarctic ice sheet. Past fluctuations of the earth’s tilt in relation to the sun have caused meltdowns or freeze-ups in Antarctic. That provided the basis for this new projection of possible future events.
To read the whole article on Nature.com you will need a subscription or make a payment.
A newsman since 1969, Harry Fuller has worked for CBS, ABC, CNBC Europe, CNET and was founding news director at TechTV. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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