Perhaps the most pervasive climatic effect of global warming is rapid escalation of ice melt. Mount Kilimanjoro in Africa, portions of the South American Andes. And the Himalayas will very likely lose most of their glacial ice within the next two decades, affecting local water resources. Glacial ice continuous its retract in Alaska. NASA scientists determined that Greenland's ice sheet is thinning by about one meter per year. The additional melt water, especially from continental ice masses and glaciers, is adding to a rise in sea level worldwide. Statllite remote sensing is monitoring global sea level, sea ice and continental ice. Worldwide measurements confirm that sea level rose during the last century. A loss of polar ice mass, augmented by melting of alpine and mountain glaciers, which experienced more than a 30% decrease in overall ice mass during the last century, will affect sea level rise. The intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment states that "Between one-third to one-half of the existing mountain glacier mass could disappear over the next hundred years." Also "there is conclusive evidence for a change in energy balance at Earth's surface since the end of the 19th century." Seal level rise must be expressed as a range of values that are under constant reassessment, the 2001 IPCC forecast for global mean sea level rise this century given regional variations, is from 0.11.0.88. The median value of 0.48m is two to four times the rate pf previous increase. These increases in coastlines shows that even a moderate rise could bring changes of unparalleled proportions. At stakes are the river deltas, lowland coastal farming valleys and low-lynig mainland areas, all contending with high water, high tides and higher storm surges. Particularly tragic social and economic consequences will affect small island states being able to adjust within their present country boundaries disruption of biological systems, loss of biodiversity, reduction in water resources among other impacts. There could be both internal and international migration of affected human populations, spread over decades, as people move away from coastal flooding from sea level rise.

Questions:

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