A research paper published on March 30, 2016 in the journal Nature has predicted that the global warming could melt the West Antarctic ice sheet within decades—far faster than previously predicted.
The melting of ice sheet in the West Antarctic, combined with ice melting in other regions, could cause seas to rise up to six feet by 2100.
The study done by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Penn State University has shown that the melting of ice sheet will risen the sea level to 6.5 feet by 2100 which is double what the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had predicted earlier.
In such cases, coastal cities including New York, London, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Sydney could be flooded before the end of the century. In November 2015, a report published by Climate Central mentioned that the climate change could keep Singapore underwater by 2100.
The new research, published by the journal Nature, is based on improvements in a computerized model of Antarctica and its complex landscape of rocks and glaciers, meant to capture factors newly recognized as imperiling the stability of the ice, The New York Times reported.
The researchers found that, "Antarctica has the potential to contribute more than a metre of sea-level rise by 2100 and more than 15 metres by 2500, if emissions continue unabated. In this case atmospheric warming will soon become the dominant driver of ice loss, but prolonged ocean warming will delay its recovery for thousands of years."
Source: DeConto, R.M & Pollard, D. (2016). Contribution of Antarctica to past and future sea-level rise. Nature Journal. Retrieved from: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v531/n7596/full/nature17145.html