Sea levels warning as ice shelves collapse

More than a third of the vast floating platforms of ice surrounding Antarctica could be at risk of collapsing and releasing “unimaginable amounts” of water into the sea if global temperatures reach 4C above pre-industrial levels, according to UK scientists.

Researchers from Reading University have said that limiting the temperature rise to 2C could potentially halve the area at risk and avoid a drastic rise in sea level.

The findings, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, suggest that 4C warming could leave 34% of the area of all Antarctic ice shelves at the risk of collapse.

Ice shelves are permanent floating sheets of ice that connect to a landmass.