In the last days of Barack Obama's administration US government scientists warned even more sea level rise is expected by century's end than previously estimated due to rapid ice sheet melting at the poles. The report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) set the extreme scenario of global average sea level rise by 2100 to 8.2 feet, up half a meter from the last estimate issued in 2012. The figures are among the highest over issued by the US government and take into account new scientific studies on the disappearing ice cover in Greenland and Antarctica. The US space agency NASA  has also warned that significant sea level rise is 'unavoidable' given mankind's continued burning of fossil fuels like oil and gas that contribute to warming the plant.