The massive ice sheets covering Greenland and Antarctica are melting at an accelerated rate in recent years, according to a recent study.
The study, released Thursday, was backed by the European Union, NASA, the National Science Foundation and research councils in Britain and the Netherlands, reported CNN News. It confirmed that major ice sheets around the world are loosing extreme amounts of water into the oceans, an estimated 237 billion metric tons, raising sea levels.
According to the study, the melting of ice sheets accounted for 10% of sea level rise in the 1990s, reported the Washington Street Journal. Now it represents 30%.
Rising sea levels have recently gained more attention, especially after the flooding caused by hurricane Sandy, reported the Washington Street Journal. Heavily populated coastal areas will be more at risk of destructive flooding if sea levels continue to rise even by small numbers.