Eerie simulation shows ocean taking over New York City as experts warn sea level rise is 'underestimated'

A grim simulation has highlighted exactly what would happen to New York City if all the glaciers and ice caps on planet Earth suddenly melted. The warning comes amid scientific concerns that sea level rise is being ‘underestimated’ by experts.

The eye-opening clip, posted in July 2023 via MetaBallStudios Lite, has amassed almost 150,000 views since it was shared.

It eerily shows how water would slowly but surely invade the sprawling metropolitan area, eventually forcing the majority of it to sink into the abyss.

According to the simulation, some of the tallest buildings in New York, such as the One World Trade Center, Central Park Tower, and One Vanderbilt, are unlikely to be washed away.

However, with the USGS confirming that global sea level would rise by approximately 70 meters (230ft), millions of residents could be displaced if the event ever came to pass.

A terrifying simulation has showed what would become on NYC if the world's ice caps were to melt (Getty Stock Image)

At the same time, buildings like One Liberty Plaza and Trump Tower would also be swamped.

Scarily, rising sea levels wouldn’t just decimate NYC; all coastal cities on planet Earth would be impacted, as per the USGS.

This would include Sydney, Australia, Barcelona, Spain, Hong Kong, China, and Malibu, California.

While the MetaBall Studios Lite video is just a simulation, it’s very possible that the Big Apple could be lost in the future, with Nasa confirming that Greenland and Arctic ice sheets and glaciers are shrinking.

The space agency says that it continuously measures the weight of glaciers and ice sheets with the GRACE Follow-On satellites, which have been in operation since 2018.

Over the last couple of years, YouTube users have been having their say on the possibility of New York becoming a modern day Atlantis.

“If they melt quickly we're screwed,” one viewer lamented.

Another commented: “No end's world movie's needed, just watch around us every years make us closer than the end.”

“It’s sad to see that happen in a couple of decades if humans don’t stop climate change,” replied a third.

Someone else joked: “It seems like Spider-Man can't save this day.”

Sea level rise is ‘underestimated’, experts warn

Earlier this month, Matt Palmer, a specialist on sea level rise at the UL Met Office’s Hadley Centre for Climate Science, claimed that scientists have been ‘systematically underestimating’ the impacts of sea level rise under climate change.

Speaking to Yale Environment 360, he continued: “We could see devastating impacts much earlier than predicted — particularly in the Global South.”

Rising sea levels would impact coastal cities across the globe, including Sydney, Australia (Getty Stock Image)

Newly published research has backed up Palmer’s claim, with Katharina Seeger and Philip Minderhoud, geographers at Wageningen University and Research, in the Netherlands, reporting that seas are on average almost on foot (0.3 metres) higher than standard estimates.

While sea levels are not rising faster than thought, the baseline for future rise is considerably higher in most places, the outlet reported.

Earth Day 2026 - what is it?

Every April 22, the world comes together to celebrate Earth Day.

The latter is an annual event to demonstrate support for environmental protection while raising awareness of global warming.

According to National Geographic, more than a billion people across the planet honour Earth Day, using time and resources to protect the world from pollution and deforestation

If you’re worried about rising sea levels and want to get involved in Earth Day, then participating in local cleanups, signing a petition and connecting with nature by planting something can help show support, as per Calm.

You can also reduce your carbon footprint by walking to work instead of taking the subway, eating more plant-based items and limiting running water when brushing teeth or washing dishes.