Here are some notable observations:
- New Landmasses: Many new landmasses have emerged due to the dramatic drop in sea levels. For instance, large areas of the North Sea, the Mediterranean, and the Baltic Sea are now exposed land.
- Expanded Territories: Several countries now have expanded territories. The United Kingdom and Ireland are no longer islands but part of the mainland, connected to Europe via newly exposed land.
- Former Islands Now Mainland: Iceland is now connected to Greenland and the European mainland, while islands such as the Faroe Islands are also part of the mainland.
- New Land Bridges: There are new land bridges connecting various parts of Europe. For instance, Spain is now connected to Morocco via a land bridge across the Strait of Gibraltar.
- Altered Coastlines: The coastlines of Europe have drastically changed. Countries like Italy, Greece, and Turkey now have much larger land areas due to the exposure of the Mediterranean Sea bed.
- Exposed Sea Beds: The beds of various seas, such as the North Sea, Baltic Sea, and parts of the Mediterranean, are now dry land. This exposure has significantly changed the shape and size of many countries in Europe.
- Inland Seas: Some areas that were previously deep seas are now enclosed inland seas or lakes. The Black Sea and the Caspian Sea regions are now significantly smaller.
These changes would have profound implications for the geography, climate, and ecology of Europe. The new land areas would potentially alter weather patterns and ecosystems, and the economic and political boundaries would also be vastly different.
Also see: What Would Happen If You Pulled A 10m Plug In The Mariana Trench and The Incredible Shrinking Aral Sea
Who do you think would be the big winners and losers in such a scenario?
Brett says
Southern Greenland is going to get a lot warmer in this scenario. Instead of being cut off from the North Atlantic Current warmth by the East Greenland current, the East Greenland Current will slam into the land bridge and be diverted along the coast, while the North Atlantic Current will also hit it and likely divert westward. So you might end up with an odd situation where the current goes west and warms the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and southern Greenland, while northern Greenland stays cold.
On the other hand, Scandinavia is going to get a lot colder. Same for the Arctic Ocean in general – the ice will probably become permanent in its extent again.
Don Carrera says
That’s over 3200-feet of sea level decrease. Even at the coldest, glaciers didn’t remove that much water from the oceans by freezing the planet – max decrease in sea level seems to be 400 feet for the last 20ky. So the only way to reach 3200-feet decrease is to have the sun evaporate & permanently remove the water from earth’s gravity, rather than freeze the water. There is no reason to hypothesize a 3200-feet sea level reduction.
Vandy Beth Glenn says
Exactly.