Greenland's glaciers are melting into the sea twice as fast as previously believed and water companies are crying foul.

The Coca Cola Company, which owns the Dasani brand of water, yesterday filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization accusing petroleum companies of illegal dumping. The complaint alleges that emissions from gasoline engines are contributing to global warming, which has led to an overabundance of water.

The oil industry for its part appears baffled by the charge, citing the bottled water industry's booming sales. Indeed, sales of still bottled water grew 73 percent between December 2000 and December 2004, lifting a market worth $1.84 billion to $3.18 billion.

But beverage companies are pressing their case. "It's a simple question of supply and demand," explains Gerhard Thevkvald, a hydrologist with the Perrier Group. "The actions of oil companies have led to an oversupply of water and that has a measurable impact on revenue."

Rising sea levels, a consequence of the rapidly melting glaciers, also threaten flood and storm damage to beverage vending machines, along with loss of sales, in low-lying areas around the globe. Submerged vending machines tend to malfunction and pose the risk of electrocution, which may lead to incomplete tranactions. Customers also find it difficult to obtain beverages or retrieve change from underwater machines.