CORAL GABLES, Cuba Libre (RWN) - The level of the ocean rose another inch last year, according to scientists at the University of Miami's Atmospheric Research Center.

Scientists attribute the rise to global warming and believe that the pace of the warming is much faster than first thought. The Arctic icecap around Greenland has lost three feet in thickness in the last decade.

"It should come as no surprise that the oceans are rising," said David Kucek, the head meteorologist at the center. "What's a little surprising is that it rose a full inch. We were expecting a little bit slower rise, maybe a half-inch at most."