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Thermal expansion of seawater, glacier and ice-sheet melt and changes in groundwater storage are among the factors that have contributed in the rise in global sea level by about 20 cm over the past century, a new study published in a British journal has highlighted with a warning. "This trend is likely to accelerate in response to increasing atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations and anthropogenic warming," underlines the study published online this month by Nature. The response of the Antarctic ice-sheet (AIS) to greenhouse warming is highly unpredictable, researchers point out, stressing that lives of a large proportion of global population is at risk due to such uncertainties. Experts, who have conducted the study, have also warned that the collapse of ice sheets at both North Pole and South Pole could start sooner than expected.

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If the world does not reach the net zero emissions goal by 2060, it could have an impact on water bodies worldwide, the researchers have demonstrated using simulations, stressing that sea levels could rise by five feet. “If we miss this emission goal, the ice sheets will disintegrate and melt at an accelerated pace, according to our calculations.” Professor Axel Timmermann, director of South Korea-based IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP), was quoted as saying in reports.

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When UN Chief sounded alarm over rising sea levels

Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, earlier this month also spoke about the danger of rising sea levels at the Munich Security Conference. "Global average sea levels have risen faster since 1900 than over any preceding century in the last 3,000 years.  The global ocean has warmed faster over the past century than at any time in the past 11,000 years," he said.

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Citing findings of the World Meteorological Organization, he further said: "The WMO tells us that even if global heating is miraculously limited to 1.5 degrees, there will still be a sizeable sea level rise. Mega-cities on every continent will face serious impacts including Lagos, Maputo, Bangkok, Dhaka, Jakarta, Mumbai, Shanghai, Copenhagen, London, Los Angeles, New York, Buenos Aires and Santiago.  The danger is especially acute for nearly 900 million people who live in coastal zones at low elevations — that’s one out of ten people on earth."

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Last year, a group of 28 sea-level scientists and practitioners of the World Climate Research Programme, which was established in 1980 under the joint sponsorship of WMO and the International Council for Science (ICSU), revealed their findings. "The collapse of major Antarctic ice shelves at the end of the century followed by increased discharge of ice may lead to a 9-10 meter catastrophic sea-level rise by 2300 under a strong warming scenario," the group underlined. "Fulfilling the Paris Agreement will greatly reduce the potential or high-end sea-level rise to 2.2-2.5 m, but not stop sea-level rise to 2300. Hence, we need to be prepared to both mitigate climate change and adapt in coastal areas—but such adaptation is feasible for this magnitude of change over multiple centuries in many places," a statement further  pointed out.

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