"Study Halves Prediction of Rising Seas"

"A new analysis halves longstanding projections of how much sea levels could rise if Antarctica's massive western ice sheets fully disintegrated as a result of global warming.

The flow of ice into the sea would probably raise sea levels about 10 feet rather than 20 feet, according to the analysis, published in the May 15 issue of the journal Science. ...

Several Antarctic specialists familiar with the new study had mixed reactions to the projections. But they and the study's lead author, Jonathan L. Bamber of the Bristol Glaciology Center in England, agreed that the odds of a disruptive rise in seas over the next century or so from the buildup of greenhouse gases remained serious enough to warrant the world's attention."

Andrew C. Revkin reports for the New York Times May 14, 2009.

Further Discussion in Dot Earth