If All the Ice Melted

This visualization is a collection of maps, by continent, that project the impact on coastlines of a 216-foot rise in sea level, which is assumed to be the result of melting all the land ice on Earth.

Go To:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/rising-seas/if-ice-melted-map

National Geographic staff

National Geographic

Notes From Our Reviewers

The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials

Teaching Tips

Educators should definitely include the resources found in the tabbed sections at the top of the page.

Students may find the one-shot 216-foot rise either too large and too distant in time to bother about, or apocalyptic. Good point for jumping off into discussion.

About the Science

The timeline for this event is rather vague: "probably more than 5,000 years, some scientists say".

About the Pedagogy

The interactive itself is composed of three parts: the maps, a timeline, and scenarios for students that display rising seas based on four different models.

Tabs on the menu bar at the top of the map provide additional information and visuals that greatly enhance the use of this resource and include scenarios for a less-distant future, as well as compelling photos of recent storms Katrina and Sandy.

Technical Details

Visually stunning.