Going by the findings of a study by scientists at the University of Texas, the rate of melting of ice in East Antarctica speeded up 2006 onwards, thereby indicating that sea levels will rise earlier than previously estimated.

Further noting that, with the notable climate change, Antarctica's ice will likely be one of the leading risks for future centuries, the scientists said that, as per recent estimates, the average loss of ice mass in East Antarctica was in the range of between 5 and 109 gigatonnes per year during the April 2002-January 2009 period, with the rate having caught speed after 2006.

Saying that even slight melting could escalate sea levels and affect the cities of the world, one of the study's authors, Jianli Chen said: "The key result is that we appear to start seeing a large amount of ice loss in East Antarctica, mostly in the long coastal regions, since 2006.

Chen added: "This, if confirmed, could indicate a state change of East Antarctica, which could pose a large impact on global sea levels in the future."

Meanwhile, according to a review of scientific statistics by environmental group Clean Air-Cool Planet, while a 2007-study projected that the world sea levels may 18-59 centimeters by 2100; it is now being projected that the sea levels may rise to nearly one meter by the turn of the century!