Global Sea Level to Rise as Much as 70 Feet for Future Generations Term Paper

Global Sea Level to Rise as Much as 70 Feet for Future Generations - Term Paper Example Ice sheets were missing in Greenland and in the western regions of Antarctica. The huge ice sheet covering the eastern part of Antarctica was also responsible for the increasing level of the sea. Several controversies and studies have been ongoing on an understanding of how the ice sheets melt and increase the level of the sea (Parry). The present study focuses on the issue and discussion of the rising level of the sea as much as 70 feet for the future generations, which is a matter of serious concern for the world as a whole. Global Sea Level to Rise as Much as 70 Feet for Future Generations: Research studies have reflected on the issue of increasing level of the sea in the future that may be around 40-7 feet higher than in the present times. Even if the world becomes successful in limiting the global warming on earth, yet such a possibility remains significant, as research studies have revealed. A research team had been led by Kenneth G. Miller, a professor of earth and planetary s ciences in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University, for the study of the levels of sea and the possible consequences of such a situation. The team made studies on rocks and parts of soil in the regions of Virginia, Eniwetok Atoll located in the Pacific and New Zealand, and concluded their studies (â€Å"Global Sea Level Likely to Rise as Much as 70 Feet for Future Generations†). ... This situation has the capability of affecting the lives of almost 70 percent of the world population. It has also been estimated that such melting of the ice sheets would require hundreds to thousands of years of time. The existing course for the 21st century global increase of sea level is 2 to 3 feet owing to oceans warming up, partial melting of mountain glaciers, and partial melting of Greenland and Antarctica (â€Å"Global Sea Level Likely to Rise as Much as 70 Feet for Future Generations†). Miller in his studies also focused on the fact that the great ice sheets in the earth are highly sensitive to changes in temperatures. Hence even a mild change in temperature has the ability to increase the levels of the sea to greater extents. According to him, with the present levels of carbon dioxide, the natural condition of the earth reflects sea levels that are up to 20 meters higher than normal state (â€Å"Global Sea Level Likely to Rise as Much as 70 Feet for Future Generat ions†). Antarctic and Greenland are the only ice sheets that are present in the current times. The ice sheet of the Antarctica has been found to be the largest ice sheet on earth representing a single piece of ice mass. The ice sheet of Greenland occupies about 82% of the plane of Greenland. Melting of this ice sheet might cause increase in sea levels by as much as 7.2 metres. The rate of melting of the Greenland ice sheet has been found to be about 239 cubic kilometres in a year on average (â€Å"Ice Sheet†). Sea Level and the Climate on Earth: The global rise in the level of the sea has been found to have a significant linkage with the climate on the earth. In the last 100 years, the climate of the earth has been increased by 1