# If all polar and glacial ice melted... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 27, 2009, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-polar-and-glacial-ice-melted/483294 "2009-01-27T22:27:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-polar-and-glacial-ice-melted/483294/1 "2009-01-27T22:27:14Z")
…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? ---
**Author:** ![Cider\_Depot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Cider\_Depot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cider_Depot)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-polar-and-glacial-ice-melted/483294/2 "2009-01-27T23:20:17Z")
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. [Sort of a cite](http://science.howstuffworks.com/question473.htm) ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-polar-and-glacial-ice-melted/483294/3 "2009-01-27T23:35:00Z")
Part of the answer from [wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_level_rise): > [@](#): > > If small glaciers and polar ice caps on the margins of Greenland and the Antarctic Peninsula melt, the projected rise in sea level will be around 0.5 m. Melting of the Greenland ice sheet would produce 7.2 m of sea-level rise, and melting of the Antarctic ice sheet would produce 61.1 m of sea level rise. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-polar-and-glacial-ice-melted/483294/4 "2009-01-27T23:37:58Z")
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](http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Image:Global_Sea_Level_Rise_Risks_png) shows areas vulnerable to sea level rise. ---
**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-polar-and-glacial-ice-melted/483294/5 "2009-01-27T23:42:49Z")
You can use this Google Maps “mapplet” to simulate the new coastline with rising sea level: [http://maps.google.com/ig/add?moduleurl=http://www.heywhatsthat.com/mapplets/sealevel.xml&pid=mpl&synd=mpl](http://maps.google.com/ig/add?moduleurl=http://www.heywhatsthat.com/mapplets/sealevel.xml&pid=mpl&synd=mpl) You just have to give Google Maps permission to add this module before you use it. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-polar-and-glacial-ice-melted/483294/6 "2009-01-27T23:57:49Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > 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](http://www.globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Image:Global_Sea_Level_Rise_Risks_png) shows areas vulnerable to sea level rise. 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. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-polar-and-glacial-ice-melted/483294/7 "2009-01-28T00:13:17Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-polar-and-glacial-ice-melted/483294/8 "2009-01-28T00:34:42Z")
Actually, it looks like the Turfan Depression in Western China would still be isolated. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-polar-and-glacial-ice-melted/483294/9 "2009-01-28T00:54:52Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > 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. At 250 feet rise, Lake Ontario would become an arm of the sea. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Cider\_Depot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Cider\_Depot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cider_Depot)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-all-polar-and-glacial-ice-melted/483294/10 "2009-01-28T01:10:23Z")
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.