Melting of East Antarctic Ice Sheet could have sea level rise by 2100

If the global temperature rises above 2 degrees Celsius, a melting East Antarctica Ice Sheet EAIS could cause a half-a metre of sea-level rise by 2100, according to a British study published Wednesday by researchers at Durham University. If emissions remain high, the EAIS could contribute around one to three metres to global sea levels by 2300 and two to five metres by 2500, they said.

EAIS could contribute up to two centimetres of sea level rise by 2100 if emissions were dramatically reduced, according to the assessment.

This would be less than the ice loss expected from Greenland and West Antarctica.

The fate of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet remains very much in our hands, said Chris Stokes, a lead author from Durham University's Department of Geography.

This ice sheet is the largest on the planet, containing the equivalent of 52 metres of sea level, and it is important that we do not waken this sleeping giant.

He said that restricting global temperature increases to below the 2 degrees Celsius limit set by the Paris Climate Agreement should mean that we avoid the worst-case scenarios, or perhaps even halt the melting of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, and therefore limit its impact on global sea level rise.