Increases in sea level caused by climate change could be dramatically larger than the world average in the densely populated Northeast, LiveScience reports. A new study shows that the melting Greenland ice cap and ocean dynamics will push 12 to 20 more inches of water toward New England and Canada than other regions over the next century. “Major northeastern cities are directly in the path of the greatest rise,” the study’s author said.
“If the Greenland melt continues to accelerate, we could see significant impacts this century on the northeast US coast from the resulting sea level rise,” the author said. The discrepancy between regions comes from movement in the world’s oceans. “The oceans will not rise uniformly as the world warms,” another researcher said, adding that “ocean dynamics will push water in certain directions.”