Forecast for big sea level rise

by BODC | April 16, 2008 at 05:59 am | 234 views | add comment

Sea levels could rise by up to one-and-a-half metres by the end of this century, according to a new scientific analysis.

The BBC is reporting that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecast in last year's landmark assessment of climate science forecast for an average rise in global sea levels of 28-43cm by 2100 is too conservative.

Computer model runs from the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory indicate that sea level rise by the end of the century may be significantly higher due to the rapid melting of the polar ice sheets.

International sea level data are available from the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC). Available sea level data are a combination of data collected under the the Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS), the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) and the Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) programmes.