Disturbing before-and-after images show what major US cities could look like in the year 2100

Their findings , published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal in 2018, show that sea levels aren't just rising. The rate has been accelerating over the past 25 years.

Even small increases can have huge consequences, experts on climate say. If the worst climate-change predictions come true, coastal US cities from New York to New Orleans will be devastated by flooding and greater exposure to storm surges by 2100.

The research group Climate Central has created a plug-in for Google Earth to illustrate how catastrophic an unlikely, "extreme" sea-level-rise scenario would be if the flooding happened today, based on 2017 projections from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

You can install the plug-in and see what might become of major US cities.

In a worst-case scenario, flooding caused by polar melting and ice-sheet collapses could cause a sea-level rise of 10 to 12 feet by 2100, NOAA reported in 2017.

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AP

Heres Washington, DC, today, with the Potomac River running through it.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

And heres what the capital might look like in 2100, as seen on Climate Centrals plug-in for Google Earth. Rising sea levels could cause the river to overflow.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

President Donald Trump drew modest crowds at his inauguration in January 2017 along the National Mall, which sits at the foot of the US Capitol building.

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Google Earth/Climate Central

Future inaugurations wouldnt be quite the same.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

Trump stood outside the White House in 2017 and announced plans to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement, a pact to fight climate change.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

Source: Business Insider

In 2100, the White Houses Rose Garden could have an oceanfront view.

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Google Earth/Climate Central

New York City is situated on one of the worlds largest natural harbors.

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Google Earth/Climate Central

The Hudson River could flood the citys perimeter and low-lying areas like the West Village by 2100.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

The Financial District contains offices for many major financial institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

Extreme sea-level rise could devastate Wall Street. Battery Park would be a water park.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

San Francisco is home to a huge concentration of wealth and power in the technology world.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth

Its also a peninsula prone to flooding.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Climate Central

This swath of downtown San Francisco includes offices for LinkedIn, Business Insider, and Salesforce.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

Theyd be too close to the waterfront to avoid flooding.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

Farther south in Silicon Valley, Facebooks campus dazzles in Menlo Park.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

As if the social network didnt have enough problems, its headquarters could someday be underwater.

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Google Earth/Climate Central

Apples new campus (the big ring) in Cupertino, California, would stay high and dry.

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Google Earth

San Francisco International Airport serves more than 50 million travelers every year.

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Google Earth/Climate Central

Source: San Francisco International Airport

In 2100, people might want to fly into Las Vegas.

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Google Earth/Climate Central

Charleston, South Carolina, already has a flooding problem. Its flat and has a low elevation, making it vulnerable to extreme flooding and storm surges.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

People might someday need a boat to reach the citys center.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

Shopping at the Charleston City Market is a must for tourists visiting the area.

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Google Earth/Climate Central

But the long row of red-roofed buildings could be submerged by 2100.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

Los Angeles, which has the third-highest elevation among major US cities, might fare better.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

Source: US Geological Survey

The projections show the Pacific Ocean climbing up the boardwalk, but thats about it.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

New Orleans is no stranger to the problems that come with sea-level rise.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

By 2100, the Big Easy could disappear underwater. An estimated 500,000 people could have to leave the area in the next century to stay aboveground.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

Source: NOLA.com

After flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina destroyed numerous homes in the New Orleans area in 2005, tens of thousands of people sought refuge at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

But the arena might not survive extreme sea-level rise.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

Boston is the only state capital in the continental US that borders an ocean. Extreme sea-level rise could cause the Charles River to spill onto city streets.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

Heres what Boston could look like in 2100. Massachusetts General Hospital might have to be abandoned, while the Public Garden would be soaked.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

Many of the countrys top universities sit along Bostons Charles River.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

The education world could say goodbye to Harvard Business School, Boston University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Northeastern University.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

Trump has spent a decent part of his presidency in Palm Beach, Florida.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

Source: Business Insider

He owns the Mar-a-Lago luxury resort and club, better known as the Winter White House.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

If sea levels rose by as much as 12 feet, Mar-a-Lago would not fare well.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

But Trump will be out of office by the time anything like that could happen.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Google Earth/Climate Central

Disturbing before-and-after images show what major US cities could look like in the year 2100

In a worst-case scenario, flooding caused by polar melting and ice-sheet collapses could cause a sea-level rise of 10 to 12 feet by 2100, NOAA reported in 2017.

Heres Washington, DC, today, with the Potomac River running through it.

And heres what the capital might look like in 2100, as seen on Climate Centrals plug-in for Google Earth. Rising sea levels could cause the river to overflow.

President Donald Trump drew modest crowds at his inauguration in January 2017 along the National Mall, which sits at the foot of the US Capitol building.

Future inaugurations wouldnt be quite the same.

Trump stood outside the White House in 2017 and announced plans to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement, a pact to fight climate change.

In 2100, the White Houses Rose Garden could have an oceanfront view.

New York City is situated on one of the worlds largest natural harbors.

The Hudson River could flood the citys perimeter and low-lying areas like the West Village by 2100.

The Financial District contains offices for many major financial institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Extreme sea-level rise could devastate Wall Street. Battery Park would be a water park.

San Francisco is home to a huge concentration of wealth and power in the technology world.

Its also a peninsula prone to flooding.

This swath of downtown San Francisco includes offices for LinkedIn, Business Insider, and Salesforce.

Theyd be too close to the waterfront to avoid flooding.

Farther south in Silicon Valley, Facebooks campus dazzles in Menlo Park.

As if the social network didnt have enough problems, its headquarters could someday be underwater.

Apples new campus (the big ring) in Cupertino, California, would stay high and dry.

San Francisco International Airport serves more than 50 million travelers every year.

In 2100, people might want to fly into Las Vegas.

Charleston, South Carolina, already has a flooding problem. Its flat and has a low elevation, making it vulnerable to extreme flooding and storm surges.

People might someday need a boat to reach the citys center.

Shopping at the Charleston City Market is a must for tourists visiting the area.

But the long row of red-roofed buildings could be submerged by 2100.

Los Angeles, which has the third-highest elevation among major US cities, might fare better.

The projections show the Pacific Ocean climbing up the boardwalk, but thats about it.

New Orleans is no stranger to the problems that come with sea-level rise.

By 2100, the Big Easy could disappear underwater. An estimated 500,000 people could have to leave the area in the next century to stay aboveground.

After flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina destroyed numerous homes in the New Orleans area in 2005, tens of thousands of people sought refuge at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

But the arena might not survive extreme sea-level rise.

Boston is the only state capital in the continental US that borders an ocean. Extreme sea-level rise could cause the Charles River to spill onto city streets.

Heres what Boston could look like in 2100. Massachusetts General Hospital might have to be abandoned, while the Public Garden would be soaked.

Many of the countrys top universities sit along Bostons Charles River.

The education world could say goodbye to Harvard Business School, Boston University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Northeastern University.

Trump has spent a decent part of his presidency in Palm Beach, Florida.

He owns the Mar-a-Lago luxury resort and club, better known as the Winter White House.

If sea levels rose by as much as 12 feet, Mar-a-Lago would not fare well.

But Trump will be out of office by the time anything like that could happen.

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