Washington, D.C. ? The global sea level will only rise about 10 feet if the West Antarctic ice sheet collapses.

While that may not sound so great to residents of coastal cities like New York or Los Angeles, it’s only about half the previously predicted rise.

Researchers led by Jonathan L. Bamber of the University of Bristol in Britain report their recalculation of the hazard in today’s edition of the journal Science.

However, they add, the maximum increase is expected along the East and West Coasts of the United States, where the water could rise as much as 25 percent more than in other regions.

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet can be unstable and has long concerned researchers who fear it could collapse as a result of global warming.

Previous studies had estimated that failure of the ice sheet, causing it to slide into the ocean, would raise global seas levels by 5-to-6 meters, or 16-to-19 feet.