Canadian scientists have modeled the possible collapse of the West Anatarctica ice sheet and have discovered that resulting sea level rise would affect coastlines differently around the world.
Some lucky areas, most notably in Southern Chile and Argentina, will experience no sea level change at all along their coasts. But other places along the populous Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Canada and the U.S., will have seas rise by six to seven metres, inundating coastal cities such as Vancouver and New York with a much worse than expected increase.
The findings dispel a myth that the ocean would act like a bathtub with uniform sea level rise globally. While the melting would likely take centuries to affect sea level, it’s an alarming development that will need to be addressed. The geophysical affects of this long-term ice melt are compound and fascinating.
The full report appears in the journal Science, but you can read more in this story in the Globe and Mail.
