Scientists warn: The sea level will rise rapidly if the planet is heated to 1.8 degrees

According to a study published this week in Nature Communications, we risk an irreversible loss of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, resulting in a rapid rise in sea levels if temperatures rise by 1.8 ºC in the coming decades. This is not the first time that scientists have raised the alarm about global warming and its implications.

Coastal populations worldwide are already bracing for rising seas. However, planning for counter-measures to prevent inundation and other damages has been extremely difficult since the latest climate model projections presented in the 6th assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) do not agree on how quickly the major ice sheets will respond to global warming.

 Check out the impact of melting glaciers on the Antarctic with this graphic below.

What to expect in the future with a cut in CO2 emissions. Credit: Institute for basic science/Jun-Young Park

The melting of the ice sheets is the main suspect for rising sea levels. The fact is that this is a very difficult phenomenon to predict for scholars. Among other things, computer models simulating the dynamics of ice sheets often do not take into account how melting ice affects ocean processes, which in turn affect the ice sheet and the atmosphere. This is a domino effect.

Using a new computer model, which for the first time linked ice sheets, icebergs, oceans and atmosphere, The research team found that the rapid melting of ice and the consequent rise in sea level can only be prevented if the world achieves zero carbon emissions by 2060.

References: Eurekalert