Sea Levels Could Rise 10 Feet in 50 Years
A new study by the National University of Mexico suggests that global sea levels could rise as much as 10 feet in the next 50 years if the Antarctic and Greenland ice caps melt rapidly.
The study analyzed coral beds in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula and discovered that during the last warm period between ice ages more than 100,000 years ago, an entire layer of coral suddenly died, only to be replaced decades later by a new, smaller layer. This indicates that sea levels had risen 10 feet in just 50 to 100 years. And the only thing that could cause such substantial flooding would be the melting of the continental ice sheets.
“Scientists have tended to assume that sea level reached a maximum during the last interglacial very slowly, over several millennia,” said study leader Paul Blanchon. “What we are saying is ‘No, they didn’t.’”