Main countries at risk if infamous ‘Doomsday Glacier’ size of Britain collapses into sea

You'll be familiar with reports over the years warning about the increasing likelihood of our polar ice caps melting due to global warming — but what would actually happen if all the Arctic and Antarctic ice melted into the sea?

The short answer to that question is bad, as rising sea levels would mean low lying countries and coastal regions would be lost under water.

In the worst case scenario, which would see all of the planet's polar ice melt, we would see sea levels rise as much as 70 meters, which the US Geological Survey believes would flood every coastal city on the planet.

But that's the worst case scenario, so what would happen if just one glacier - in this case Antarctica's 'Doomsday Glacier' - melted?

That sure is a lot of ice (NASA)

What is the 'Doomsday Glacier' and what happens if it melts?

Also known by its scientific - and less exciting - name Thwaites Glacier, this icy behemoth floats at the northern edge of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and measures 120 km (80 miles) in width.

Which is about as big as the UK, if you're looking for a size comparison.

The glacier is also melting pretty fast, which is why scientists are currently keeping an eye on it. According to Forbes, melting ice and breakaways from Thwaites already account for around '10 percent' of global sea level rise at the moment. If the thing collapsed entirely then sea levels could rise by as much as 65 centimetres (two feet).

Perhaps more worryingly is the fact that Thwaites could pull other glaciers and antarctic lakes down with it, which Science Focus believes would add three metres to our oceans.

So, in the event of the entire glacier dropping into the ocean, who needs to be packing their bags and making a mad dash inland?

Rising sea levels would spell disaster for countries like The Netherlands, as well as islands such as The Maldives, Kiribati and Tuvalu (Getty Stock Images)

The Netherlands

A nation that is notoriously very flat, it shouldn't surprise you that The Netherlands would be high on the list of countries at risk of rising sea level. According to Netherlands Tourism, around one third of the country is below sea level, meaning the nation relies heavily on flood defences.

The Netherlands Delta Commissioner estimates that current flood defences can withstand a sea level rise of up to one metre, which means the streets of Amsterdam would be able to hold strong if the glacier collapse doesn't take nearby ice lakes with it.

Bangladesh

It's estimated that 15 to 30 million people out of the South Asian's entire population of 171.5 million would find their homes under water if global sea levels rose by one metre. This would include about one-third of the nation's landmass and include multiple major cities.

Bangladesh also repeatedly ranks high on lists of countries at risk of climate change, meaning it could be one of the first places we see a climate based catastrophe.

Major cities such as New York and Miami would also be at risk (Getty Stock Images)

Island nations such as the Maldives and Micronesia

Island paradises such as the Indian Ocean's honeymoon hotspot the Maldives or Pacific ocean archipelagos such as Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia could disappear completely from a rapid rise in sea levels.

In fact, the island of Tuvalu has even begun to explore the idea of creating a 'digital island' in order to preserve its culture. Other countries at risk include Kiribati, the Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands.

United States

If you're living in cities such as Miami, New York or New Orleans then it's not a good idea to invest in any seafront real estate, as these are considered to be America's 'front-line cities' when it comes to climate change.

According to a report from CNBC, its expected that 60 percent of Miami-Dade County could be underwater.