What Will America Look Like if All the Icecaps Melt?: These Maps Show You

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Island of Seattle.

By Chelsea Harvey
Sea-level rise is one of the most concerning consequences associated with global climate change, thanks to melting polar ice and thermal expansion caused by warming ocean waters — and we're already starting to see its effects on coastal communities around the world.

The US Geological Survey estimates that if all the world's glaciers melted, sea level would rise by about 80 meters, or more than 260 feet. This scenario could be thousands of years in the future, but it would render many of the world's best-loved coastal cities unrecognizable.

Jeffrey Linn, a Seattle man with a background in geography and urban planning, has created a series of maps of major US cities based on this doomsday scenario. He used actual geographic data from the areas to make the maps as realistic as possible.

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San Diego Sea.

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Portland.

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Los Angeles.

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New York City.

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