Earth’s oceans could rise 61⁄2 feet by 2100

Miami? Underwater. Norfolk? Swamped. New York City? Fuggedaboutit.

Experts say that in a worst-case scenario, portions of these and other U.S. coastal cities could be lost to the sea by the end of the century as ocean levels rise due to global warming, a study released Monday said.

In fact, on average, seas around the world could rise as much as 61⁄2 feet higher by the end of the century if climate change continues unchecked.

This is a new high-end estimate that a group of 22 top scientists came up with in the new study, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“We should not rule out a sea-level rise of over 2 meters (61⁄2 feet) if we continue along a business-as-usual emissions trajectory,” said the study’s lead author Jonathan Bamber of the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.

This is potentially double the upper limit outlined by the U.N. climate science panel’s last major report, according to New Scientist magazine.