The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991, which sent tens of millions of tons of sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere and caused reflection of solar heat and cooling ocean temperatures, has masked the worsening effects of industrial pollution on global sea levels.
Since expansion of warming water is a major cause of sea level rise, the research report, based on satellite measurements and published in Scientific Reports, concluded that global warming is causing seas to rise at a slightly slowing rate of a little more an inch every decade.
Even the best-case scenarios published by scientists in recent years suggest seas will rise 1 to 2 feet this century, though 4 feet or even more is possible, which would destroy many coastal regions. Read more at http://www.climatecentral.org
