New Brunswick's coastline is becoming a major casualty of climate change, a new study suggests.

Canadian scientists say global warming is causing a rise in sea-levels, eroding some of the province's coastal areas and triggering a gradual rise in storms.

The intensity of storm surges also seems to be increasing, meaning the massive amounts of rain and flooding that hit the Shediac area six years ago could be more than a freak occurrence.

The government officially declared the flooding a disaster.

"The melting of ice in the polar regions and the warming of the ocean -- called thermal expansion -- is the single largest contributor over the next century of sea-level rise," Real Daigle of Environment Canada told CTV.ca.

Daigle and a team of researchers worked on the study for three years, closely watching the Shediac coastline and others.

The study, called "Impacts of Sea-Level Rise and Climate Change on the Coastal Zone of Southeastern New Brunswick," can be found here.

The report also argues that climate change is just one of two major factors contributing to rising sea-levels.

"We have something on our coast called crustal subsidence. In other words, we're sinking," he said.

"After the net result of the last ice age many thousands of years ago, we have ice over North America that has caused our coastal areas to rise because of the weight. And of course over time the coastline has begun to sink, readjusting itself. So that factor is worth anywhere from five to 15 centimetres per century of sea-level rise in ... Shediac Bay.

In total, he said there could be a 60-centimetre sea-level rise in the next 100 years, contributing to coastal erosion and storm surges.

The findings bring a real concern to people in coastal areas, like those residing in Prince Edward Island's provincial capital.

"We've never seen so many living close to the water," Lisa Debaie of Environment Canada told CTV News. "Those zones are at an increased risk in the future."

Charlottetown gets about eight storm surges a year that measure above 60 centimetres, according to the report. That's compared with just three along the coast in Halifax.

Larger storm surges measuring more than 100 centimetres happen about once a year.

Meanwhile, Daigle said his team's report is meant to educate those living near the coast, but not offer solutions.

"At this point, information has to be accepted; once it's out there you have to start thinking of logical next steps," he said.

With a report by CTV's John Vennavally-Rao in Halifax