Scientists warn of sea level rise

PORTSMOUTH, N.H., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Scientists studying the world's ice sheets warn the ice is melting much faster than expected, with higher-than-predicted sea level increases expected.

The researchers are starting a tour of East Coast U.S. cities, warning a sea level rise of more than 3 feet is likely this century as a result of the accelerated melting.

The "Hip Boot Tour" started Tuesday in Philadelphia and will include stops in Portland, Maine; Hampton, N.H.; Norfolk, Va.; Wilmington, N.C.; Miami; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Tampa, Fla.; New York and Washington.

"Our colleagues in the arctic science community have uncovered startling new evidence that we are losing the world's ice reservoirs much faster than predicted in the last report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change," said arctic policy expert Brooks Yeager of the non-profit organization Clean Air-Cool Planet, which is sponsoring the tour. "Basically, the estimates of likely sea level rise have gone from knee-high to chest-high in the last five years, as the melting is outstripping even the previous worst-case scenario."

Each symposium will also feature a discussion of available policy solutions.

"The bottom line is, if we want to keep the sea water where it is, we have to act quickly," Yeager said. "The good news is, we have what we need. We just need to do it."

More information is available at http://www.hipboottour.info.