If you melted all of the ice in the world, how high would the oceans rise.?

Question

If you melted all the ice in the world, some 23 million cubic kilometers in all, the oceans would rise 1.7% or about 180 feet (60 meters). It would do a lot of damage but it would not be the end of the world? It would take a lot more water than this to put the planet totally under water, why do so many people think that global warming will end the world? Plus if you dumped that much fresh water into the Ocean it would cause an ice age in the long run, is this not simply the natural cycle of the Earth?

Answer 1

Because kevin costner's Waterworld.

Your calculations are correct. In fact the vast majority of the united states would still be dry land, along with much of the rest of the world. People forget that Ice takes up more space than water.

it is the natural cycle of the earth, were just accelerating it.. plus most of the worlds population lives within that 180 feet.

Here is a picture of earth with NO ICE and the resulting ocean levels:
http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/spaceart/earthicefreemask.gif (from Visible Earth)

Keep in mind that floating ice melting doesnt change the ocean level, because the ice displaces the same volume of water that itself is made out of.

Answer 2

For every foot the ocean levels rise, the average beach would lose 100 feet inland. 180x100=18000ft= about 6 miles. Say goodbye to NYC and washington DC, plus many other coastal cities. Florida would get it worst in the states, though, almost the whole state is barely above sea level, so almost the whole state would be gone. Lots of island nations would be wiped completely out, too. It wouldn't be the end of the world, but millions would be homeless. It will happen within the next 50 to 100 years (yes 50 to 100, not 500, not 1000, 100) if nothing is done.
I'm not worried, though, I live in the mountains, we'll probably just get the super-storms that result from all of the water vapor added to the atmosphere

To AuntieKJ: That would be true if the mass of the ice was already in the water. If the north pole melted, sea levels would stay pretty much the same because there is no land under the ice, but most of the mass of the ice in antarctica is on top of land, not displacing its weight in the world's oceans. If it melts, the sea level will rise.

Answer 3

I have heard theories that the opposite effect would happen...water would recede from the shores rather than flood them.

Experiment with a glass full of ice and fill the remaining space with water. When the last cube has melted, the glass is no longer full to the top ...is it?

Answer 4

it will also screw up the temps/currents of the ocean, as well as weather patterns etc...

Answer 5

i believe it would flood the earth