Melting ice sheets caused global sea levels to rise up to 18 metres, scientists say

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Researchers have learned lessons from a rapid pulse of sea-level rises in Earth's recent past.

 

"Previously, scientists tried to work out the source of the sea-level rise based on sea-level data from the tropics, but the majority of those studies disagreed with geological records of ice sheet change.

"Our study includes novel information from lakes around the coast of Scotland that were isolated from the ocean due to land uplift following the retreat of the British Ice Sheet, allowing us to confidently identify the meltwater sources," Dr Lin added.