Sea Levels Rising Faster Than Expected

Top climate scientists say sea levels are rising faster than expected, the Times of London reports. The world's oceans will rise about 3 feet by the end of the century, double the amount predicted in a 2007 estimate by the UN. The new figure, blamed on melting ice sheets, could prove catastrophic for the hundreds of millions of people who live in the world's low-lying areas, the scientists say.

"It's rising much faster than in the models," said a researcher at a Copenhagen conference. "We are setting in motion processes now that will lead to sea level rises for centuries to come. They will burden many generations coming after us." (More sea level stories.)