According to a new study, sea levels over the last two decades have increased at an unprecedented rate, an ominous sign of climate change measured from the U.S. Atlantic to the Indian Ocean. 

The report involves the reassessment of more than 600 tidal gauge records that revealed that readings from 1901 to 1990 were apparently overestimated when it comes to rising of sea levels.

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When those figures were revised for that timespan, sea level acceleration was greater than previously thought. The report details how these earlier readings were incomplete or inaccurate due to local factors such as subsidence or the sinking of land due to groundwater.

According to lead author of the study, Carling Hay, a scientist from Harvard University, the analysis revealed that the acceleration of sea levels in the past two decades were actually 25 percent higher than what was previously thought. 

Rising sea levels are caused by numerous climate change factors including the thawing of glaciers which was averaged to be 1.2 millimeters which increased to 3 millimeters in the past 20 years due to global warming.

In the past year, the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) conducted an estimate of 1.5 millimeters every year for 1909 to 1990 which means that it is less than the current rate of 3 millimeters.

These new findings suggest that this data might affect future projections of sea levels rising which are based on historical trends.

According to sea level expert Stefan Rahmstorf from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, this study will require further analysis in order to pinpoint 20th century sea level risings which has been the highest ever on record.

This study is published in the journal Nature. 

TagsStudy: Sea Levels are Rising Dangerously Faster Than Previously Thought, global warming, sea levels rising