LiveScience: Rising sea level is among the most potentially catastrophic effects of human-caused climate change. Increases in sea level strengthen the destructive power of storms, and threaten to swamp major coastal cities, as well as small-island and low-lying nations. In the United States alone, more than 8 million people live in areas at risk of coastal flooding.
During the 20th century, global sea levels crept up by about 6.7 inches (17 centimeters), and the rate of increase appears to have accelerated...