Images of Antarctica (left) and Greenland (right) to scale. Antarctica is 50 per cent larger than the United States or Europe. Greenland is 7 times smaller than Antarctica. There is enough ice in Antarctica to raise global sea level by 60 metres and 7 metres in Greenland.

The loss of ice from the Greenland Ice Sheet has increased and will contribute substantially to global sea level rise.

Regional variability in sea level change relative to the global average by the end of this century.

Sea-level rise is accelerating.

Satellite altimetry data has revealed that sea level is not rising uniformly.

Another process that results in rising sea levels is the addition of water mass from land ice. Melting glaciers and ice caps, as well as the vast ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica, raise sea-levels if their water mass enters the ocean as melted water or icebergs (Pritchard et al. 2009, Steig et al. 2009, Velicogna 2009). Furthermore, it is estimated that melting of tropical glaciers (most of them are considered small) could cause an increas...

The Arctic is extremely diverse in terms of landscapes, varying from pack and drift ice to rugged shores, flat coastal plains, rolling hills and mountains surpassing 6000 metres above sea level (Denali, 6,194 m asl, in sub-arctic and boreal Alaska). The region has rivers and lakes, tundra and the largest forests in the world (the Russian Taiga).

El Niño describes 'the warm phase of a naturally occurring sea surface temperature oscillation in the tropical Pacific Ocean', and southern oscillation refers to 'a seesaw shift in surface air pressure at Darwin, Australia and the South Pacific Island of Tahiti'. This graphic explains the El Niño-Southern Oscillation Phenomenon, showing the differences between a normal year and an El Niño year.

El Niño describes 'the warm phase of a naturally occurring sea surface temperature oscillation in the tropical Pacific Ocean', southern oscillation refers to 'a seesaw shift in surface air pressure at Darwin, Australia and the South Pacific Island of Tahiti' amd La Nina refers to the cooling phase of the same temperature oscillation that causes El Nino. This graphic shows how the El Nino phenomenon changed weather conditions in southern Africa in...

The potential impacts of sea level rise on the Nile Delta are expected to include a decline in water quality that would affect freshwater fish, the flooding of agricultural land and damage to infrastructure. This graphic shows the Nile Delta region as it is today (2002), the area as it would appear with a 0.5 m sea level rise, and the area as it would appear with a 1.0 m sea level rise.

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The Arctic is extremely diverse in terms of landscapes, varying from pack and drift ice to rugged shores, flat coastal plains, rolling hills and mountains surpassing 6000 metres above sea level (Denali, 6,194 m asl, in sub-arctic and boreal Alaska). The region has rivers and lakes, tundra and the largest forests in the world (the Russian Taiga).

The Arctic is extremely diverse in terms of landscapes, varying from pack and drift ice to rugged shores, flat coastal plains, rolling hills and mountains surpassing 6000 metres above sea level (Denali, 6,194 m asl, in sub-arctic and boreal Alaska). The region has rivers and lakes, tundra and the largest forests in the world (the Russian Taiga).

A significant sea level rise is one of the major anticipated consequences of climate change. This will cause some low-lying coastal areas to become completely submerged, while others will increasingly face short-lived high-water levels. These anticipated changes could have a major impact on the lives of coastal populations. The small island developing states (SIDS) will be especially vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise, and to changes in ...

Impact of sea level rise in Bangladesh. three maps in a time relapse resulting in 18 million people affected, 22,000 km2 of land submerged by flooding.

Impact of sea level rise on the Nile delta. Sea level elevation model used to produce impact of nile delta sea level rise.

Melting and warming will have consequences on ocean circulation. Additionally melting of inland glaciers and continental ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica, and the thermal expansion of ocean waters are causing sea level rise.

The Bukit Barisan mountain range that runs down the full length of Sumatra reach altitudes of over 3,000 meters above sea level (m asl), with the highest peaks being Gunung Kerinci in West Sumatra (3,800 m asl) and Gunung Leuser (3,404 m asl) in Aceh. Sumatran orangutan habitat is primarily in lowland areas. The highest densities are found below 500 m asl, but individuals can still be encountered on occasion as high as 2,000 m asl.