Scientists have examined satellite data from the last 19 years to reveal that fresh water from Antarctica's melting glaciers and ice sheets have caused the sea level around the icy continent to rise by nearly 0.8 inches (2 centimeters) more than the global average of 2.3 inches (6 centimeters). The scientists said, in a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, that the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet and the thinning of floating ice shelves have led to an excess of nearly 350 gigatons of freshwater in the surrounding ocean, which has led to a reduction in the salinity of the sea water. “Freshwater is less dense than salt water and so in regions where an excess of freshwater has accumulated we expect a localized rise in sea level,” Craig Rye, of the University of Southampton and the study’s lead author, said in a statement. Read more http://www.ibtimes.com/antarctic-sea-level-rising-faster-global-rate-new-study-shows-1674978
