…ISTR that, notwithstanding the award-winning documentary Waterworld, the entire planet would still not be underwater. But what would still be above sea level? How much of the continental U.S., for instance, would remain dry?
If it happened, the sea level would rise 200 ft. But it won’t happen anytime in the near future, because it’ll take an awful lot of warmth to melt the ice sitting on continental Antarctica, home of most of the Earth’s frozen water.
If Greenland melts, then 7 meters.
Part of the answer from wikipedia:
So if the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets melted, this would raise seal levels by about 69 meters, or 225 feet. Everything below that elevation (measured above current sea level) would be underwater, at a minimum. Some additional (minor) sea level rise would result from the melting of other glacial ice.
This would put all of the beachfront property in the world underwater, as well as virtually all of Florida. Most of Louisiana would become part of the Gulf of Mexico, along with much of eastern Texas. The outlet of the Mississippi River would extend almost to Memphis.
You can play with Google Earth, and it will tell the elevation of the land based on the cursor location.
The soil in the south-central part of the U.S. shows evidence of the presence of shallow seas in the past. Someday those seas will likely return.
The total rise, including melting all of Antarctica, Greenland, and mountain glaciers would amount to about 69 m, or 228 ft. As Cider Depot says, not even the worst-case scenarios predict that anytime soon.
Even at that, most of the continents would remain above sea level. Most or all of Florida, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and island states such as the Bahamas would be gone, however.
This map shows areas vulnerable to sea level rise.
You can use this Google Maps “mapplet” to simulate the new coastline with rising sea level:
You just have to give Google Maps permission to add this module before you use it.
Interesting. I hadn’t realized that the divide separating Lake Champlain’s drainage from the Hudson River drainage was that low. It looks like the catastrophic scenario the OP is referring to would create a strait joining them, leaving the interiors of New England and New Brunswick a large Island.
Also, would Death Valley become the lowest dry land point on Earth? It looks like the Med would swallow the Dead Sea, the current lowest. Death Valley would still be isolated.
Actually, it looks like the Turfan Depression in Western China would still be isolated.
At 250 feet rise, Lake Ontario would become an arm of the sea. :eek:
The good(?) news is that if global temperatures rose enough to melt Antarctic continental ice, the value of your beach front property would be the least of your worries.