Danger for coastal nations: Melting glaciers may cause alarming rise in sea level

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WASHINGTON: Sea level rise has the potential to make a major impact on coastal nations across the globe.
Scientists believe a previously overlooked side-effect of global warming – the formation of lakes on top of glaciers – could greatly increase the rate of melting of the Scientists believe.
Previous predictions said Greenland would contribute eight inches (22cm) to global sea levels by 2100, but the new findings indicate this figure is significantly too low.
The ice in Greenland covers 1.7 million square kilometres – an area three times the size of Texas.
If all the ice melted and flowed into the sea, oceans around the world would rise by as much as six metres, causing extensive damage to coastal communities. While such a disaster is not expected to happen, ice losses from Greenland were predicted to contribute 22cm to global sea levels by 2100. But the new findings related to lakes formed from melted ice and snow indicates that this figure is off the mark. The study shows that as Arctic temperatures rise, Greenland will develop a rash of these ‘supraglacial’ lakes, expected to spread much further inland. By 2060, the amount of land they cover could be double what it is today.