A warmer atmosphere melts glaciers and ice sheets and causes global sea levels to rise.

True if the scientific consensus as of 2010 (e.g. IPCC AR4) holds that warming increases the melting of glaciers and ice sheets and that this meltwater adds to global sea-level rise. Mostly true if this holds with minor qualifications (e.g. thermal expansion also contributes, or ice-sheet dynamics are complex). False if the science contradicts the link between warming, ice melt and sea-level rise.

Set before the research began.

1. E1 Sea Level - AR4 WGI Chapter 10: Global Climate Projections IPCC (Working Group I, Fourth Assessment Report) · 1 January 2007

   “Glaciers, ice caps and the Greenland Ice Sheet are also projected to contribute positively to sea level.”

2. E2 Sea Level - AR4 WGI Chapter 10: Global Climate Projections IPCC (Working Group I, Fourth Assessment Report) · 1 January 2007

   “Thermal expansion is the largest component, contributing 70 to 75% of the central estimate in these projections for all scenarios.”

3. E3 Sea Level - AR4 WGI Chapter 10: Global Climate Projections IPCC (Working Group I, Fourth Assessment Report) · 1 January 2007

   “General Circulation Models indicate that the Antarctic Ice Sheet will receive increased snowfall without experiencing substantial surface melting, thus gaining mass and contributing negatively to sea level.”

The IPCC AR4 Working Group I sea-level projections say glaciers, ice caps and the Greenland Ice Sheet are projected to add to sea-level rise under warming (E1). This supports the claimed link between warming, ice melt and rising sea levels. The same assessment adds qualifications: thermal expansion is the largest component of projected rise (E2), and models project that the Antarctic Ice Sheet will gain mass from increased snowfall and lower sea level (E3). These are the kind of minor qualifications the criteria list for a mostly true verdict.