Global Climate Change

Vital Signs of the Planet

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Global sea level has risen by about 8 inches since 1901. This rise is due to a combination of melting ice and water expanding due to increased temperatures. While we don’t have precise measurements, scientific models indicate that melting ice has caused about two-thirds of sea level rise to date.

We estimate that 49,000 gigatonnes of ice have melted over that time frame—enough ice to cover the entire contiguous U.S. in an ice sheet 22 feet high (about 7 meters), or coat the entire Moon's surface in a 5-foot-high ice sheet.

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Estimated total sea level rise from 1901 to 2015 = 20.3 centimeters

Estimated sea level rise due to thermal expansion = 6.6 cm

Estimated rise due to ice melt = 20.3cm - 6.6 cm = 13.7 cm = 137 mm (from IPCC report, chapter 4)

137 mm * 360 Gt/mm = 49320.0 gigatonnes

Area of continental U.S.: 8,081,867 km² (U.S. Census)

Ice density = 1.091 km³ / gigatonne

49,000 gigatonnes * (1.091 km³ / gigatonne) = ice height * 8,081,867 km² x = (49,000 gigatonnes * 1.091 km³ / gigatonne) / 8,081,867 km² = 0.006657882392768898 km = 6.66 m = 21.84 feet

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