Study: Sea levels are rising faster than everyone thought

A study published in the journal Nature found that, staring in 1990, the sea has been rising at a rate 2.5 times faster than from 1900 to 1990.

This is quicker than scientists thought. Previous research suggested that between 1900 and 1990, sea levels rose about two-thirds of an inch every decade. The new study calculated that the rate was actually less than half an inch a decade, and today, the seas are rising at 1.2 inches every decade. Scientists say this is all caused by melting ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica and disappearing glaciers.

"We're seeing a significant acceleration in the past few decades," the study's lead author, Carling Hay of Harvard University, told The Associated Press. On the East Coast of the United States, it's "concerning for cities," since the water levels are rising faster there than the world average. "It's definitely something that can't be ignored," he said.

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