A comprehensive look at ocean temperatures along West Antarctic coast shows that a faster melt of the region's ice shelves is all but "unavoidable" this century and implies a quicker rate of sea level rise.
Why it matters: The future of millions of coastal residents worldwide depends on the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. A more rapid loss of this ice threatens to send sea levels above existing projections of a one-to-three-foot rise by 2100.
