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The big melt

Interview: Saroja CoelhoMay 14, 2014

The current West Antarctic ice sheet collapse will cause a rise in sea level which will affect coastal communities and force the IPCC to re-evaluate its estimates, say experts. David Vaughan analyzes the issues at hand.

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Melting glaciers in West Antarctica are one of the single largest threats to worldwide sea level rise. Two studies published this week say that Antarctic glaciers are melting faster than most scientists had expected and it appears to be unstoppable. However the time span over which it could melt could stretch over centuries.

The most recent UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report estimates that by 2100, sea level could rise up to 98 centimetres. This is more than enough to cause cause major problems in coastal cities, say researchers.

But the IPCC and other projections do not take into account the possibility of major ice loss in Antarctica. David Vaughan from the British Antarctic survey has had a closer look at these two most recent studies and discusses their ramifications with Living Planet host Saroja Coelho.