Global warming is causing more snow to fall over Antarctica and it is stunting the surge of rising sea levels.

Scientists have discovered that the increased amount of snow on Antarctica has helped offset rates of twentieth-century global sea-level rise by up to a third.

Since the start of the 20th century the snow on the frozen continent and the Antarctic ice Sheet have played a pivotal role in governing sea level change.

The delicate balance between ice sheets melting and increased snowfall has a major part to play on sea levels around the world.

The authors of the research caution that this phenomenon is merely slowing sea level rise - not negating it completely.

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Since the start of the 20th century the snow on the frozen continent and the Antarctic ice Sheet have played a pivotal role in governing sea level change. The increasing global temperature has also caused more snow to fall on Antarctica (stock)

The findings have been published in the journal Nature Climate Change and emphasise the role of the ice sheet on global sea levels, the researchers claim.

Global sea levels are rising as a result of warmer sea waters.

Sea levels vary dramatically around the world due to the distribution of warm water around the world.

As warm water expands to fill more space than cold water it has a dramatic effect on sea level rise in some areas based on currents and wind.

Uneven sea level rise is also influenced by ice sheets, which lose mass as they melt.

However, sea level is also affected by changes in snowfall, which impacts the volume of frozen water that is 'stored' in glaciated regions such as Antarctica.

SEA LEVELS COULD RISE BY UP TO 4 FEET BY THE YEAR 2300 Global sea levels could rise as much as 1.2 metres (4 feet) by 2300 even if we meet the 2015 Paris climate goals, scientists have warned. The long-term change will be driven by a thaw of ice from Greenland to Antarctica that is set to re-draw global coastlines. Sea level rise threatens cities from Shanghai to London, to low-lying swathes of Florida or Bangladesh, and to entire nations such as the Maldives. It is vital that we curb emissions as soon as possible to avoid an even greater rise, a German-led team of researchers said in a new report. By 2300, the report projected that sea levels would gain by 0.7-1.2 metres, even if almost 200 nations fully meet goals under the 2015 Paris Agreement. Targets set by the accords include cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero in the second half of this century. Ocean levels will rise inexorably because heat-trapping industrial gases already emitted will linger in the atmosphere, melting more ice, it said. In addition, water naturally expands as it warms above four degrees Celsius (39.2°F). Every five years of delay beyond 2020 in peaking global emissions would mean an extra 20 centimetres (8 inches) of sea level rise by 2300. 'Sea level is often communicated as a really slow process that you can't do much about ... but the next 30 years really matter,' lead author Dr Matthias Mengel, of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, in Potsdam, Germany, told Reuters. None of the nearly 200 governments to sign the Paris Accords are on track to meet its pledges. Advertisement

Brooke Medley and Elizabeth Thomas from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, used ice-core records to determine snow accumulation across Antarctica from 1901–2000.

They found an overall increase in sea level rise and say it is as a direct result of warming temperatures that allow the atmosphere to hold more moisture.

The authors suggest that this increase in snow has offset approximately 10 mm of global sea-level rise since 1901.

Previous research has found that climate change is causing sea levels to rise unevenly around the world.

They also revealed the encroaching sea levels of the last 25 years are 'human-caused' and will be devastating if they continue to rise.

Experts predict that regions with rapidly rising sea levels, including the Eastern Seaboard of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico, can expect the trend to continue as the climate warms.

Scientists have discovered that the increased amount of snow on Antarctica has helped offset rates of twentieth-century global sea-level rise by a third (file photo)

'By knowing that climate change is playing a role in creating these regional patterns, we can be more confident that these same patterns may linger or even intensify in the future if climate change continues unabated,' Dr Fasullo at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) said.

'With sea levels projected to rise a couple of feet or more this century on average, information about expected regional differences could be critical for coastal communities as they prepare.'

Dr Fasullo and Dr Steve Nerem at the University of Colorado Boulder, both members of the NASA Sea Level Change Team, analysed satellite data which measured sea surface heights stretching back to 1993.

Areas near Antarctica and the West Coast of the US have lower-than-average sea level rise but some, including the US's East Coast and the Philippines and Indonesia, are suffering more.

Sea level varies according to region due to the thermodynamics of the water in the oceans.