Tropical Pacific could experience enhanced sea-level rise
Tropical waters in the Pacific will experience disproportionately high sea-level rise from climate change-induced polar ice melt, according to new research. Nick Golledge's interview with Dateline Pacific, Radio New Zealand
Associate Professor Nick Golledge is part of a global scientific research team modelling how polar ice melt will disrupt Earth's cooling mechanisms.
Nick said the gravitational field of polar ice caps diminishes as they melt and shrink, which enhances the effect of the earth's rotation to push water to the equator.
He said mixed with glacier melt and other factors means an average sea-level rise of 0.8 of a metre.
"Which would translate to something like 1.2 metres in the Pacific so quite a substantial sea-level rise by 2100."
Listen to an interview with Nick Golledge on Dateline Pacific, Radio New Zealand here.