ss6m.climatecentral.orgSurging Seas: 2 °C Warming and Sea Level Rise

You are using an unsupported browser. Please upgrade your browser to view this site. 2 °C Warming and Sea Level Rise Learn About This Map Share this map Related Donate × About | Disclaimer | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Sea level tools and analysis by About 2°C Warming and Sea Level Rise × This map shows U.S. land less than 20 feet, or 6 meters, above the high tide line. That is the minimum amount of eventual sea level rise projected from 2 degrees Celsius (3.6°F) of global warming, according to a comprehensive review published in the journal Science. 2°C is an internationally agreed target for trying to limit warming. The areas colored blue are the areas below 6 meters -- areas that would eventually be permanently underwater. When could the sea fully reach this height? Perhaps sooner than 200 years from now (see Table 1 in this scientific paper ), or perhaps much longer (for example, see this paper ). It is easier to estimate how much ice will eventually melt from a certain amount of warming, than how quickly it will melt, which involves more unknowns. Carbon pollution casts a long shadow. When people burn fossil fuels or clear forests today, the extra carbon we put in the atmosphere stays long enough to add to global warming for thousands of years. Neither warming nor sea level rise will stop when we stop polluting. For fuller discussion and data analysis, including what the consequences could be for American cities and global nations, explore the Related (+) menu above the map. The methodology for building this sea level map comes from Climate Central’s peer-reviewed scientific research , updated with more accurate elevation data (laser-based lidar) and applied here to a new and higher sea level. Credits and Sources Climate Central ’s sea level rise group conceived and led the research behind this project, and conceived the tool and its architecture. Stamen Design in San Francisco designed and built the map and mobile tool. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) were data sources for elevation; NOAA  was the sole source for tidal elevation. Graphical map tiles are by Stamen Design , under CC BY 3.0 . Map data by OpenStreetMap , under CC BY SA . Funding Map development was supported by U.S. National Science Foundation grant ARC-1203415. General Disclaimer & Legal Terms of Use The purpose of this web tool is to provide a picture of post-2100 sea level rise threatened by carbon pollution, in order to inform public and policy dialogues about energy and climate. It is not meant as a planning tool or as a prediction for any precise location. All data and maps are provided “as is” without any warranty to their performance, accuracy or suitability for any particular purpose. All risks associated with any results, decisions and/or performance of the data made available on this website are borne entirely by the user. For more information visit Disclaimer | Terms of Use. × Related Links Climate Central coverage Our analysis: U.S. Our analysis: Global Near-term risk maps...