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Sea levels could rise by 10 FEET if global temperatures continue to soar: Warmer oceans will melt the ice sheets - and we may have already reached the point of no return

Researchers studied how ice levels have changed over thousands of years
They did this by studying peaks in the ice in the Ellsworth Mountains
Results indicate during previous warm periods, a substantial amount of ice would have been lost from the West Antarctic ice sheet
If global temperatures continue to increase, sea levels could rise by 10ft

Published: 08:21 EST, 3 February 2016 | Updated: 11:01 EST, 3 February 2016

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If the West Antarctic ice sheet was to melt in response to increasing global temperatures, sea levels could swamp coastal towns and cities around the world.

That's the warning from Scottish researchers who have plotted how the ice sheet is expected to respond to global warming.

In particular, they claim that loss of ice in West Antarctica caused by a warming ocean could raise sea levels by a staggering 10ft (3 metres).

In the first study of its kind, researchers from the University of Edinburgh were able to gauge how levels of ice covering the land have changed over hundreds of thousands of years. They did so by studying peaks protruding through ice on the Atlantic flank of Antarctica (pictured)

In the first study of its kind, researchers were able to gauge how levels of ice covering the land have changed over hundreds of thousands of years.

They did this by studying peaks protruding through ice in the Ellsworth Mountains, on the Atlantic flank of Antarctica.

The team assessed changes on slopes at various heights on the mountainside, which indicate levels previously reached by the ice sheet.

RISING SEAS COULD DESTROY TURTLE POPULATIONS

Rising sea levels could destroy many of the nesting sites used by endangered sea turtles around the world, a new study has warned.

Researchers have found that as coastal nesting sites become flooded with sea water more often, many turtle populations will struggle to produce sufficient young.

They found that green turtles on Raine Island on the Great Barrier Reef, are now regularly being swamped with sea water.

This is leading to just 10 per cent of the eggs hatching into turtles, while in other parts of the world usually around 90 per cent of eggs hatch.

The researchers found that eggs submerged in sea water for up to six hours had a far reduced chance of hatching as the embryos struggled to get enough oxygen to survive.

They also mapped the distribution of boulders on the mountainside, which were deposited by melting glaciers.

Chemical technology - known as exposure dating - showed how long rocks had been exposed to the atmosphere, and their age.

Their results indicate that during previous warm periods, a substantial amount of ice would have been lost from the West Antarctic ice sheet by ocean melting, but it would not have melted entirely.

This suggests ice would have been lost from areas below sea level, but not on upland areas.

The study shows that parts of the West Antarctic ice sheet have existed continuously for at least 1.4 million years.

However, if global temperatures continue to rise, causing the oceans to become warmer, the a substantial amount of ice could be lost from the sheet.

This could see sea levels rise by as much as 10ft (3 metres).

Dr Andrew Hein, of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, joint leader of the study, said: 'Our findings narrow the margin of uncertainty around the likely impact of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet on sea level rise.

The team assessed changes on slopes at various heights on the mountainside in the Ellsworth Mountain range, which indicate levels previously reached by the ice sheet. They also mapped the distribution of boulders on the mountainside, which were deposited by melting glaciers

Their results indicate that during previous warm periods, a substantial amount of ice would have been lost from the West Antarctic (pictured) ice sheet by ocean melting, but it would not have melted entirely. If global temperatures continue to rise, causing the oceans to become warmer, sea levels rise by 10ft (3 metres)

'This remains a troubling forecast since all signs suggest the ice from West Antarctica could disappear relatively quickly.'

Professor John Woodward of the University of Northumbria, who co-led the study, said: 'It is possible that the ice sheet has passed the point of no return and, if so, the big question is how much will go and how much will sea levels rise.'

The study, published in Nature Communications, was carried out by researchers at the University of Edinburgh with Northumbria University and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre.

Last year, researchers revealed more than 400 US cities could be obliterated by rising sea levels, and they created an interactive map to reveal the full extent of the crisis. The interactive map looks at various different post-2100 sea levels that could change in this century. This could spell the end for Miami and New Orleans

It builds on similar predictions made by Dr James Hansen, Nasa's former chief climate scientist who is now based at Columbia University in New York.

Dr Hansen, along with 16 other experts recently warned ice sheets are melting 10 times faster than believed.

He explained that just 2°C of warming could be 'highly dangerous'.

Last year, researchers revealed more than 400 US cities could be obliterated by rising sea levels, and they created an interactive map to reveal the full extent of the crisis.

The interactive map looks at various different post-2100 sea levels that could change in this century. This could spell the end for Miami and New Orleans, for example.

WHICH COUNTRIES WILL SUFFER MOST FROM CLIMATE CHANGE?

Climate change experts have released a map of the world revealing how prepared different countries are to cope with the effects of climate change (shown above).

In the map 192 countries are ranked by their ‘vulnerability’ and ‘readiness’, producing an overall score on their fate, ranging from bad (zero) to excellent (100).

The results reveal that Scandinavian countries and the UK are among the most likely to survive - but areas of sub-Saharan Africa will be hardest hit.

The maps were created by London-based company The Eco Experts, using data from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, known as the ND-Gain Index.

They took into account location, terrain, pollution rates and national resources when calculating which countries would be most affected.

Countries like Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark score well on the scale.

But places like Central America, Africa and India all appear at risk from natural disaster - and are poorly equipped to cope, said The Eco Experts.

Jon Whiting, of The Eco Experts warned: ‘Hurricanes, earthquakes, blizzards, droughts and flooding are all real dangers for some of these areas, and this is compounded by a lack of national strategy to counteract the effects.’

Burundi, Chad, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo produced some of the lowest scores, meaning these countries will be the biggest victims of weather disasters.