Rate of loss of land ice quicker than previously thought

Rising sea levels due to the loss of land ice in Greenland and West Antarctica may be happening faster than previously thought, according to climate change research summarized in PartnerRe’s Hazard & Risk Science Review 2008.
PartnerRe’s report notes that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests sea level increases by 2100 would amount to between 18 to 59 cm. “But few climate scientists are this optimistic,” the report adds.
“Continuing thermal expansion of the oceans and rising Greenland melt rates, due to climate change, are likely to result in future sea levels rising more rapidly than predicted by the IPCC,” the Review notes.
Specifically, it cites U.K. research by E.J. Rohling, which looks at periods of Earth history when temperatures were similar to those predicted for the future as a result of climate change.
The research shows “that during the last interglacial period, between 119,000 and 124,000 years ago, when global temperatures were 2C or more higher than they are today, they were accompanied by sea levels four and six metres higher.”
Further research cited in PartnerRe’s report notes that in a warmer world, mean peak storm intensity will be higher, with mean storm tracks moving 100-200 km closer to the North American coast.