How many inches of water can Global Warming rise the oceans and cause distruction?

Answer 1

In the worst-case scenario, the complete melting of Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets would raise the sea level by 80 meters, or 260 feet. If nothing is done, this will occur early in the 22nd century.

http://cegis.usgs.gov/sea_level_rise.html

Answer 2

Currently sea levels around the world are rising by an average of 3mm a year (1 inch every 8 years) and it's probable that this will double within 50 years.

There are some places where sea levels are rising much faster, in the Sundarban Delta for example sea levels have been rising by 30mm a year (1.2 inches).

Such rises may not sound much but when you consider that the highest point in say the Maldives is just 800mm (32 inches) above sea level it won't be long before they're lost to the seas.

Over millions of years global warming has, and probably will again, result in the melting of all the ice on the planet. Were this to happen then sea levels would rise by just over 80 metres (260 feet). This won't happen for a very, very long time yet.

The worst case scanario based on current predictions is an average rise of 10mm (0.4 inches) a year across the globe. This would raise sea levels by 1 metre (3 feet) by the end of the century - enough to cause massive flooding of coastal areas and the displacement of more than 100 million people.

Answer 3

It totally depends on how hot the Earth gets due to global warming. If we get global warming under control, there will be a fairly minimal sea level rise (under a foot). If we don't take action to significantly decrease greenhouse gas emissions within the next decade, it's likely that the Greenland Ice Sheet will melt, which will cause a 23 foot (or 7 meter) sea level rise, as people have said. If ice sheets in Antarctica melt, that will cause an additional 60 foot sea level rise soon thereafter for a total of about 80 feet. This will likely happen by the end of the 21st century if we don't take sufficient action to prevent it.

Answer 4

The extent it can rise is mainly based on how much water Antarctica, Greenland, and other glaciers contain. If they are were to melt, Antarctica could contribute with more then 60 metres, Greenland more then 7 metres. Small glaciers and ice caps might contribute with about 0.5 metres.

There are some other sources, such as the Permafrost.

In reality, the sea levels rise with a few millimeters a year. There is no suggestion that this will change more then a few millimeters, certainly not enough to cause such major events.

Answer 5

The capability is 20+ feet.

The REALITY is probably a few inches. Scientists know that the oceans used to be much lower then they are now. Hence the lost city of Atlantis. That means the oceans have been rising for thousands of years and will continue until the next glacial period.

Just imagine the archaeological discoveries that will be made when that happens.

Answer 6

The answer to this varies, depending on:

1) who you ask
2) who they work for
3) what their political views are
4) what ulterior motives they have
5) who financed the research, and
6) if the person you ask actually did any research.

I'm not trying to be negative, I'm just shedding light on a sad fact. I myself, believe that the ice caps WILL melt if we don't do something about global warming, and the results will be horrific, especially for the people/animals/plants living in coastal areas. But, to answer your question, the most common answer I've heard is 20 feet (or more), which equals out to 240 inches (or more).

Answer 7

I am not sure exactly how many inches, but studies show that in the near future, Greenland may melt, and this would cause many of our costal cities to flood, probable worse than Katrina in New Orleans. If you want the brief answer: over our heads. Many cities could be entirely destroyed.

Answer 8

I just had to write a research paper on Global warming..this information might help you...

Greenland’s glaciers alone hold enough water to rise sea levels by 23 feet.

100 million people live within 3 feet of water worldwide. If the sea levels rise they will all have to be sent to new places to live.

The redistribution of population will causes shortages in housing, food, medical care, and will cause more death.

Answer 9

Probably a lot less than what the fanatics are suggesting...

Most of the ice of Antartica is FLOATING. All of the north polar ice cap is floating.

Put ice in a glass. Add water to float the ice. Mark the water level. Let the ice melt. Look at the water level.

Answer 10

The predictions indicate that the oceans may possibly rise as much as 7M if ALL land-based ice were to melt due to Global Warming.

Check out the interactive maps here:
http://flood.firetree.net/
where you can set how HIGH the rise will be, up to a max of 7M, to see how this would affect different parts of the world's coastlines.