NASA scientists said on Wednesday that data collected by satellites show sea levels are on average three inches higher than they were in 1992, due to warmer oceans and the melting of mountain glaciers and polar ice caps.
"It's very likely to get worse in the future," said Steve Narem, a University of Colorado geophysicist. A United Nations panel projected in 2013 that sea levels would rise between one and three feet by the year 2100, and the NASA scientists said it would likely be on the higher end of the projection, Time reports. The data show that some areas of the Pacific Ocean have falling sea levels, but scientists say that's because ocean currents and weather cycles have offset some changes. They warn that the West Coast of the United States could see a jump in sea levels over the next 20 years.
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