Question: If the polar ice caps melt like predicted, will cities go underwater like Atlantis? Or will it be less severe?

Asked by wdowe2 to Elizabeth, Blaire, Jenny, Shona, Simon on 12 Mar 2013. This question was also asked by tyra, dmath56.

0

Keywords: ,

  1. Photo: Elizabeth StarkElizabeth Stark
    answered on 12 Mar 2013:

    It’s unlikely that antarctica would completely melt (there is a lot more ice there than at the north pole). If a lot of the north pole (arctic) ice melted than a fair number of low islands would disappear. A lot of our coastal cities would be affected too. Not as dramatic as atlantis, but you would get a lot more flooding from king tides.

    0

  2. Photo: Shona MarksShona Marks
    answered on 14 Mar 2013:

    Elizabeth is right. There is a lot of water held as ice in the poles, I don’t think this will all melt. Hopefully the sea levels will rise slowly as they have done in the past (over 1000 – 3000 years) and then we will have time to get out of the way and move our cities inland.

    0

  3. Photo: Blaire DobieckiBlaire Dobiecki
    answered on 14 Mar 2013:

    Yes, unfortunately things aren’t looking good for island nations like Kiribati. Many scientists believe the entire land area of Kiribati, whose highest point is now just 10 feet above sea level, will disappear with ongoing sea level rise caused by global warming.

    I recent article I read said that Australia has pledged to give $1.5 million to rehabilitate 25 miles of roads in the island nation of Kiribati undermined by rising sea levels and coastal erosion.

    0

  4. Photo: Jennifer L. A. ShawJennifer L. A. Shaw
    answered on 18 Mar 2013:

    Apparently the Maldives are going to go under water soon too. And off the east coast of America the sea level in some parts has be documented as rising by 30 cm in the last ten years! which is very fast!
    I think we will have major problems in the near future with floods as the ice melts. We may need to abandon cities and move inland to start new cities. It depends on how low the land is.

    0

  5. Photo: Simon AllenSimon Allen
    answered on 19 Mar 2013:

    IF all the ice in Antarctica melted then sealevel would rise by 60m.
    Predictions from the climate change experts put the expected rise in the order of 1-2 mtetres in 100 years, but this in itself will see large highly populated river deltas be completely inundated (flooded)
    S

    0

Comments