Polar Icecaps/Sea Level

[AndyZ]

If the polar icecaps completely melted, how high would be the corresponding rise in sea level?  Sources would be appreciated where possible.

[Oniya]

According to NASA, about 75 meters.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/PolarIce/polar_ice2.php

[AndyZ]

Dang, that's it?  Okay, thank you.

[Cycle]

If my math is right, that's raising the ocean high enough to submerge the bridge part of the Golden Gate Bridge.

[Oniya]

This only goes up to 66 meters, but it gives you an idea of how the coastlines would change.

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

[AndyZ]

Appreciated ^_^

I put down the entire world building thread here: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=236987.0  It occurs to me that there's a LOT of such questions to which I don't know the answers.

[eBadger]

It's not Waterworld, but it's worth considering how many of the world's major cities are on the coast. 

Also, and probably far more destructive than rising waters, is the inevitable climate change.  The salt content in the oceans would shift, as well as temperature, changing ocean currents.  Large areas of land would become water surface, changing wind patterns.  Even the reduction in reflectivity due to lack of white ice and snow would impact weather patterns. 

All of that means that such a world would be completely different in climate: a continuation of issues like the Sahara, which was once heavily forested with plenty of rain.  The world's farmland might not drown, but it might not be any good for growing crops.  It's unknown what storms or hurricanes might occur.  Without doubt, many plants and animals would be unable to adapt to new climates and mass extinctions would occur on staggering levels. 

[Oniya]

I admit to only skimming it, but the Nat. Geo. article that I linked to goes into some of the climate change.

[gaggedLouise]

The Panama canal would turn into a natural strait, too. Not a very deep or wide one, but it could have some minor effect on the Gulf stream - which didn't exist before the isthmus formed a couple of million years ago.