Past Ice Melts May Have Caused Seas To Rise 10 Times Faster Than Today: Study

Based on geological records, the researchers estimate that oceans worldwide rose 3.6 metres per century over a 500-year period some 14,600 years ago.

Ice sheet melting at the end of the last ice age may have caused sea levels to rise at 10 times the current rate, a study published Thursday by a team led by scientists from Britain's Durham University said. Based on geological records, the researchers estimate that oceans worldwide rose 3.6 metres per century over a 500-year period some 14,600 years ago. The findings raise a red flag about the potential today for rapid sea level rise that could swamp coastal cities and densely populated deltas around the world. The team found that the approximately 18-metre sea level rising event may have originated primarily from melting ice sheets in the northern hemisphere and not Antarctica as previously thought.