The sea-level in the Antarctic Ocean has risen in the past 19 years.

Using a satellite data, researchers from the University of Southampton found the sea-level around the Antarctic coast rose by two centimeters more than the global average of six centimeters.

They explained the region now spans more than a million square miles, which was caused by the thinning of floating ice shelves that spread out to cover this immense area.

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They said the thinning of the Antarctic ice sheet contributed 350 gigatons of excess freshwater to the surrounding oceans.

Craig Rye, one of the researchers, said they expected the localized rise of sea levels because freshwater is less dense than salt water.

Researchers developed a computer simulation of the melting glaciers in the Antarctic Ocean, that closely resembled the real-world picture seen in a satellite data.

Rye explained the model supported their theory found the sea-level rise was caused by the reduction of the salinity of water from the melting ice sheets.

He pointed out the interaction between air, sea and ice in these seas is key to the stability of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and global sea levels.

It's also vital to other environmental processes such as the generation of Antarctic bottom water that cools and ventilates much of the global ocean abyss.

Aside from the University of Southampton, the research study was also carried out with the aid of the National Oceanography Center and the British Antarctic Survey.

The study was published in the scientific journal, Nature Geoscience.