How would sea level change if all glaciers melted?
There is still some uncertainty about the full volume of glaciers and ice caps on Earth, but if all of them were to melt, global sea level would rise approximately 70 meters (approximately 230 feet), flooding every coastal city on the planet.
Learn more:
- USGS Water Science School: Glaciers and Icecaps
- National Snow and Ice Data Center: Facts about Glaciers
- U.S. Global Change Research Program: Sea Level Rise
Related
What are the impacts of glacier loss, other than losing an aesthetic landscape feature?
Are today's glaciers leftovers from the Pleistocene ice age?
How do we know glaciers are shrinking?
How does present glacier extent and sea level compare to the extent of glaciers and global sea level during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)?
How many glaciers currently exist in Alaska?
How much of the Earth's water is stored in glaciers?
How old is glacier ice?
Is glacier ice a type of rock?
Is there a size criterion for a glacier?
The World's Water - Distribution of Earth's Water
The World's Water - Distribution of Earth's Water
The effects of sea-level rise will vary by differences in the geomorphology and ecology of the landscape. Images show marsh (top left) rocky coast (top right), barrier beach (bottom left), and coastal bluff (bottom right)
The effects of sea-level rise will vary by differences in the geomorphology and ecology of the landscape. Images show marsh (top left) rocky coast (top right), barrier beach (bottom left), and coastal bluff (bottom right)
Will Micronesians become the U.S.'s first climate change refugees?
by Curt Storlazzi, USGS Research Geologist and Oceanographer
Will Micronesians become the U.S.'s first climate change refugees?
by Curt Storlazzi, USGS Research Geologist and Oceanographer
U. S. Geological Survey Scientists Carol Johnson, Eric White and Tim McCobb prepare to deploy geophysical equipment in a coastal embayment April 9, 2015 in Falmouth, Massachusetts.
U. S. Geological Survey Scientists Carol Johnson, Eric White and Tim McCobb prepare to deploy geophysical equipment in a coastal embayment April 9, 2015 in Falmouth, Massachusetts.
An iceberg floating in Lake Superior, June 2014. Photographed from the R/V Kiyi.
An iceberg floating in Lake Superior, June 2014. Photographed from the R/V Kiyi.
Wave-driven flooding and overwash on Roi-Namur Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands
Wave-driven flooding and overwash on Roi-Namur Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands
Wave-driven flooding and overwash on Roi-Namur Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands
Wave-driven flooding and overwash on Roi-Namur Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands
For questions about this project, please contact the speaker, John Crusius at jcrusius@usgs.gov, (206) 543-6978. The northern Gulf of Alaska (GoA) maintains a productive ecosystem, with commercially important fisheries.
For questions about this project, please contact the speaker, John Crusius at jcrusius@usgs.gov, (206) 543-6978. The northern Gulf of Alaska (GoA) maintains a productive ecosystem, with commercially important fisheries.
Most glaciers in Washington and Alaska are dramatically shrinking in response to a warming climate.
Most glaciers in Washington and Alaska are dramatically shrinking in response to a warming climate.
Related
What are the impacts of glacier loss, other than losing an aesthetic landscape feature?
Are today's glaciers leftovers from the Pleistocene ice age?
How do we know glaciers are shrinking?
How does present glacier extent and sea level compare to the extent of glaciers and global sea level during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)?
How many glaciers currently exist in Alaska?
How much of the Earth's water is stored in glaciers?
How old is glacier ice?
Is glacier ice a type of rock?
Is there a size criterion for a glacier?
The World's Water - Distribution of Earth's Water
The World's Water - Distribution of Earth's Water
The effects of sea-level rise will vary by differences in the geomorphology and ecology of the landscape. Images show marsh (top left) rocky coast (top right), barrier beach (bottom left), and coastal bluff (bottom right)
The effects of sea-level rise will vary by differences in the geomorphology and ecology of the landscape. Images show marsh (top left) rocky coast (top right), barrier beach (bottom left), and coastal bluff (bottom right)
Will Micronesians become the U.S.'s first climate change refugees?
by Curt Storlazzi, USGS Research Geologist and Oceanographer
Will Micronesians become the U.S.'s first climate change refugees?
by Curt Storlazzi, USGS Research Geologist and Oceanographer
U. S. Geological Survey Scientists Carol Johnson, Eric White and Tim McCobb prepare to deploy geophysical equipment in a coastal embayment April 9, 2015 in Falmouth, Massachusetts.
U. S. Geological Survey Scientists Carol Johnson, Eric White and Tim McCobb prepare to deploy geophysical equipment in a coastal embayment April 9, 2015 in Falmouth, Massachusetts.
An iceberg floating in Lake Superior, June 2014. Photographed from the R/V Kiyi.
An iceberg floating in Lake Superior, June 2014. Photographed from the R/V Kiyi.
Wave-driven flooding and overwash on Roi-Namur Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands
Wave-driven flooding and overwash on Roi-Namur Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands
Wave-driven flooding and overwash on Roi-Namur Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands
Wave-driven flooding and overwash on Roi-Namur Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands
For questions about this project, please contact the speaker, John Crusius at jcrusius@usgs.gov, (206) 543-6978. The northern Gulf of Alaska (GoA) maintains a productive ecosystem, with commercially important fisheries.
For questions about this project, please contact the speaker, John Crusius at jcrusius@usgs.gov, (206) 543-6978. The northern Gulf of Alaska (GoA) maintains a productive ecosystem, with commercially important fisheries.
Most glaciers in Washington and Alaska are dramatically shrinking in response to a warming climate.
Most glaciers in Washington and Alaska are dramatically shrinking in response to a warming climate.