LA commuters may soon be trading in their cars for boats and/or learning how to swim if they still want to make it into work on time. The reason is that most of Los Angeles will find itself underwater if all the world’s ice caps, sheets and glaciers melt.
And while the Los Atlantis map above is a tongue-in-cheek look at this somewhat unlikely scenario, there is a scientific basis to it.
According to the US Geological Survey, if all the ice caps, sheets and glaciers on earth were to melt, sea levels would rise by over 80m (over 260′). The good news is that this is unlikely to happen in your lifetime, with even most gloomy estimates putting it over 1,000 years in the future at the earliest.
In the meantime, Los Atlantis has some nice hidden gems such as:
- The O. Sea
- Strait Outta Compton
- 9021 cove
- Drowney
- Ex-LAX
- Firth of Fullerton
- Knott’s Oyster Farm
Additionally, the Inland Empire would find itself at least 20 miles closer to the ocean, which means it might need to be renamed something along the lines of the not-quite-so-Inland Empire.
Another benefit would be the creation of a whole lot of new beachfront property. Finally, you can put your mind at ease knowing that Palos Verdes residents will be just fine on their own exclusive island.
Remember, if you like the map above, you can click here to buy a copy.
To learn more about sea level rises see:
- High Tide On Main Street: Rising Sea Level and the Coming Coastal Crisis
- This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate
- Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington: Past, Present, and Future
What do you think of Los Atlantis? Leave your comments below:
Mr.Snrub says
>The O-Sea
Don’t call it that!
Chakat Firepaw says
To put this into perspective, one should look a bit farther North. This amount of sea level rise puts Sacramento over 50m underwater.
It would also give Palm Springs seafront properties on the Gulf of California. LA isn’t exactly the poster child for what happens if sea levels rise, (unless you mean Louisiana, which is utterly annihilated at +80m).
waynyatta says
Very cute, but how about some real names for those of us that don’t know California, so we can get an idea.
Dave says
Much better.
spa.mobilehullcure.com says
This map appeared in an atlas in 1833 aimed at educating American youth on the breadth of their still fledgling republic. The eagle — whose feathers, talons and wings extend over most of the American states and territories at the time (though curiously not Maine) — represents a national emblem against forces that would sunder the Union. Not long after the map was published, it became obsolete .