Sea-level rise on rise

Though global temperatures are rising as predicted, sea-level rise is outpacing projections released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

In 2011, the IPCC predicted the world’s oceans would rise by 2 millimeters a year, but research from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Tempo Analytics and Laboratoire d’Etudes en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales has shown sea levels are actually rising at a rate of 3.2 millimeters a year, according to the Environmental News Network.

“This study shows once again that the IPCC is far from alarmist, but in fact has under-estimated the problem of climate change,” said Stefan Rahmstorf, the study’s lead author. “That applies not just for sea-level rise, but also to extreme events and the Arctic sea-ice loss.”