Will your city become sub-aquatic if sea level rises X meters?

[srobert]

Phew! Looks like I'll be safe to at least 14 meters (as far as the simulation shows). … although I might have to deal with Repentigny invaders trying to steal my precious high ground.

That being said, try it for yourself. It's an interesting google maps variant that shows simulated increase in sea level overlaid on top of their regular maps.:

http://flood.firetree.net/

(only coastal regions are covered)

Things look grim for Florida and Louisiana.

 

[iGary]

Did in Hurricane Isabel.

 

[robbieduncan]

If the sea levels rise 13 meters my flat will be underwater

13 meters sounds like a lot to me. Less than that I get to live closer to the coast! It's not clear that this allows for flood defenses like the Thames Flood Barrier though...

 

[dejo]

Since the elevation of my house is 6230 ft (1898m) above sea level, I'm not too worried.

 

[yellow]

Can't get to that site. Seems you "swamped" the server. Punintended!

 

[baby duck monge]

Can't get to that site. Seems you "swamped" the server. Punintended!

Same here. That makes me sad For those of you who did get to check, though, a 13m rise in sea level is a lot, so you probably don't have to worry about it very much unless there's a reeeeeaaaaallllllly huge wave (or series of waves) that comes through.

 

[srobert]

…For those of you who did get to check, though, a 13m rise in sea level is a lot…

Yeah. That made me wonder so I went checking for comparisons. Here is what I found:

If the Greenland ice sheet melted completely, it would raise global sea levels by about 7m.

West Antarctica (WAIS): ~5 meters
East + West Antarctica: ~70 meters

I've also read that "Loss of sea ice cover, which is occurring in the Arctic, does not contribute to sea level rise., so I guess that arctic doesn't count.

And here is a snip from wikipedia:

With increasing average global temperature, the water in the oceans expands in volume, and additional water enters them which had previously been locked up on land in glaciers and the polar ice caps. An increase of 1.5 to 4.5 °C is estimated to lead to an increase of 15 to 95 cm (IPCC 2001).
The sea level has risen more than 120 metres since the peak of the last ice age about 18,000 years ago. The bulk of that occurred before 6000 years ago. From 3000 years ago to the start of the 19th century, sea level was almost constant, rising at 0.1 to 0.2 mm/yr; since 1900, the level has risen at 1–2 mm/yr [25]; since 1992, satellite altimetry from TOPEX/Poseidon indicates a rate of about 3 mm/yr [26].

 

[srobert]

Funny. With a 4 meters rise, Mr. Bush will be able to park his yacht in his front yard

Maybe that's what he's aiming at.

 

[yellow]

Most of DC is former swamp-land, is it not? This isn't too surprising. Who wants to have to go to Daddy's place in Kennebunkport, when you can just step out the front door?

 

[dmw007]

Still plenty safe here in PA.

 

[gauchogolfer]

I'm 150 meters from the Med, so I'm pretty sure I'm screwed. Luckily I'll be moving back to the States next year, so unless an asteroid/meteor hits, it's all good.

 

[Applespider]

Well, huge swathes of London will at the maximum 14m but thankfully, living on a hill with another few large hills between me and the Thames, it would just make the rivers quite a bit closer. Might be nice to commute to work that way... except that Chelsea is one of those areas under water!

 

[vniow]

My city and my current place would mostly be safe although the economy will probably take a hit since much downtown is flooded at 14m. My friend's place in the Mission would be flooded too, it sucks, I was planning on moving in as soon as there was a room open. My old place in the Sunset looks like it'll be flooded out (and that bitch of a "landlady" sort of deserves it ) and it looks like the Oakland airport is gone as well.

Fel bad for the people who live in Alameda though, they're covered!

 

[nbs2]

Well, that just made me care a little less about sea levels rising.

My old place would have been right on the edge of the rise in the event of a 14m rise. It looked like we would be right on the ocean. If this is low tide, we would have some issues come high. My current place is miles from any sort of damage as a result of a 14m rise. It might even be a good thing - the so-called (Little Patuxent) river next to my apartment might actually get more than a few feet deep...

 

[TheMonarch]

Woah!

I live in Alameda (County). This thing gets pretty damn close.

I've always wanted a house in front of the ocean

 

[PlaceofDis]

well i think i would be safe for the most part here in Chicago, but since the map only does the coast, who knows what affect the rise would have on the Great Lakes region, i'm sure some of the areas would be covered at least a bit more than they are now.

 

[Johnny Rico]

.

 

[princealfie]

nope, salt lake is kinda dry here

 

[oblomow]

hurray, I'll be safe with 14 metres of water. Just. And 85% of my country
will be flooded... Ah the joys of living in a country below sealevel.

 

[takao]

at 400-500 meters i think i'm pretty safe from that

 

[Blue Velvet]

...Chelsea is one of those areas under water!

Well, I'm on the fourth (and top) floor so I could jetski from the roof of the block.

It's a pity I never learned to swim.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

Well, the map is taking forever to load up on my dodgy dialup connection, so I'll give that up as a bad idea. But I do know that Hull city centre is about four metres below sea level. And that the Humber is ranked as the "second most at risk" estuary in the UK.

Not a good combination...

 

[riciad]

Don't even have to bother checking the site. If the sea level were to rise about 1.5 meters I'd be looking for a house boat. We're just 60 meters from the beach with very little slope and at the highest tide, the water comes up the road about 10 meters.

 

[Applespider]

Well, I'm on the fourth (and top) floor so I could jetski from the roof of the block.

So you'd have a beachside apartment... how civilised!

 

[killuminati]

Even at 14 meters I'd be far from the water .

Richmond would be gone though . I hate richmond.