Each degree of warming could bring sea levels two meters higher

The Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf in Antarctica (Credit: NASA)

Researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research have authored a study that contends that for each degree of global warming in the future, sea levels could rise by more than two meters, according to a release from the institute.

The study is based on the fact that the majority of current sea level elevation is caused by glacial melt from mountain ranges and the thermal expansion of the ocean. Scientists theorize that once the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets start to melt more rapidly, sea level rise could spike exponentially.

Researchers based their study on past climate history and comprehensive computer simulations that included models for all the significant contributors to long-term sea level rise.

Image: The Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf in Antarctica (Credit: NASA)