# If the arctic melts how high the ocean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2004, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-arctic-melts-how-high-the-ocean/274019 "2004-11-10T15:09:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![braintree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@braintree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/braintree)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-arctic-melts-how-high-the-ocean/274019/1 "2004-11-10T15:09:55Z")
The Title pretty much tells you my question. If I was going to buy a property near the coast about high high up should it be to ensure that it doesn’t wind up with Davy Jones’ locker, assuming the event of a Global melt-down? By the way, this was on Yahoo! news this AM. [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=570&ncid=753&e=5&u=/nm/20041110/sc\_nm/environment\_shipping\_dc](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=570&ncid=753&e=5&u=/nm/20041110/sc_nm/environment_shipping_dc) Funny how this virtually irrefutable proof of global warming is being treated as a positive. Such a wise and wonderful world we live in. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-arctic-melts-how-high-the-ocean/274019/2 "2004-11-10T15:18:34Z")
I live right on the coast of CT…And let’s just say I am not putting my home up for sale anytime soon…I’m not that worried about it. This is something that is going to take a very, very long time to effect our living on coastal byways… ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-arctic-melts-how-high-the-ocean/274019/3 "2004-11-10T15:21:34Z")
If all the (floating) ice melted the oceans would rise by 0’ 0". Same thing if you filled a glass full of ice and water. Once the ice melted the water level would not change. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-arctic-melts-how-high-the-ocean/274019/4 "2004-11-10T15:33:47Z")
\*\*Most \*\*of the Arctic ice is floating in the Arctic Ocean, and whether or not it’s in liquid or solid form it has the same effect on sea level. Melting of “the Arctic” would presumably include the Greenland Icecap and glaciers on Ellesmere and Baffin Islands as well as smaller ones scattered across the north. The impact from them would be minimal when spread throughout the oceans – a few meters maximum. (Note that the already-extant partial melting of Arctic ice in the Beaufort Sea area has had essentially zero effect on sea level.) ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-arctic-melts-how-high-the-ocean/274019/5 "2004-11-10T15:45:34Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > If all the (floating) ice melted the oceans would rise by 0’ 0". > Same thing if you filled a glass full of ice and water. Once the ice melted the water level would not change. But not all the current ice is sitting in water, correct? What happens when the ice from Antactica starts getting slushy? I remember reading a land-bridge type theory that Taiwan was populated during the last Ice Age…of course, this was from an old children’s encyclopedia… ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-arctic-melts-how-high-the-ocean/274019/6 "2004-11-10T15:51:33Z")
> [@braintree](#): > > By the way, this was on Yahoo! news this AM. > > [Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=570&ncid=753&e=5&u=/nm/20041110/sc_nm/environment_shipping_dc) > > Funny how this virtually irrefutable proof of global warming is being treated as a positive. Such a wise and wonderful world we live in. :smack: And if reading the “Comments” on that story don’t make you want to up and move to Tau Ceti, I don’t know what will :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-arctic-melts-how-high-the-ocean/274019/7 "2004-11-10T15:52:33Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Melting of “the Arctic” would presumably include the Greenland Icecap and glaciers on Ellesmere and Baffin Islands as well as smaller ones scattered across the north. The impact from them would be minimal when spread throughout the oceans – a few meters maximum. In fact, two days ago I heard someone on the radio who had written a report about Arctic climate changes. He used the figure 23 feet when talking about potential effect of the icecaps and glaciers melting. I can’t vouch for his credibility, but it does fit in line with Polycarp’s “few meters maximum” – certainly fewer than 10 meters. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-arctic-melts-how-high-the-ocean/274019/8 "2004-11-10T16:18:17Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > If all the (floating) ice melted the oceans would rise by 0’ 0". > Same thing if you filled a glass full of ice and water. Once the ice melted the water level would not change. But that is not the issue. The issue is the **arctic** ice melting, which includes a LOT of ice on Greenland’s Ice Cap, and also a lot of ice in Canada and Alaska. Once thought to be trivial, experts now feel that the rise due to the addition of all the water above sea level may be up to 1 meter by the end of this century. That’s significant for coastlines everywhere. Also note that if the ice goes, the water temperture goes up, and the water expands to a small degree. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2004, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-arctic-melts-how-high-the-ocean/274019/9 "2004-11-10T16:30:10Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > In fact, two days ago I heard someone on the radio who had written a report about Arctic climate changes. He used the figure 23 feet when talking about potential effect of the icecaps and glaciers melting. > > I can’t vouch for his credibility, but it does fit in line with Polycarp’s “few meters maximum” – certainly fewer than 10 meters. According to the [U.S. Geological Service](http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs133-99/gl_vol.html), the expected sea level rise from the melting of the Greenland Ice Cap alone would be 6.5 meters, or a little over 21 ft. While this may be “only a few meters” the effect on human habitation in coastal areas and on islands would be catastrophic. Many major cities are coastal and would be significantly affected, as would heavily populated low-lying areas such as Bangladesh. Some island nations would nearly disappear. The amount of sea level rise expected from the melting of the Antarctic Ice Cap is 73.44 m, for a total of 80.44 m (284 ft). While the complete melting of either Greenland or Antarctica is not predicted under current levels of global warming, expected levels of melting over the next few decades can be expected to cause significant problems. (Note that predicted sea level rise is not due to the melting of ice alone, but also due to thermal expansion of the warming oceans themselves). [The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency](http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/ResourceCenterPublicationsSeaLevelRiseIndex.html) estimates sea level rise at about 30-60 cm (1-2 ft) along the U.S. east and Gulf coasts over the next century. Their site presents many reports discussing potential problems associated with even this modest rise. > [@Phlosphr](#): > > I live right on the coast of CT…And let’s just say I am not putting my home up for sale anytime soon…I’m not that worried about it. This is something that is going to take a very, very long time to effect our living on coastal byways… You may wish to consult the EPA’s [map of expected sea level rise for the northeastern U.S.](http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/nynhc600.gif?openimageresource) Bear in mind also, that even a small rise in average sea level can make coastal areas much more vulnerable to extreme events such as large storm/tidal surges accopanying major storms. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-arctic-melts-how-high-the-ocean/274019/10 "2004-11-11T00:45:50Z")
Here’s a nice map of what happens to Florida if Greenland’s ice cap disappears. [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/04/0420\_040420\_earthday.html#main](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/04/0420_040420_earthday.html#main)