16 Cities To See Before They Sink Beneath The Sea

Here is a list of 16 coastal and river port cities around the world to visit sooner rather than later. All are exposed now more than any time in their history to rising oceans and the destructive fury of 100-year storms.

The port city for Vietnam's capital Hanoi faces directly onto the Gulf of Tonkin at the mouth of the Cam River and storm surges or rises in sea levels of 6 feet would inundate much of the the river's wide estuary and the coasts to the south. As many as 4.7 million people and $334 billion of assets could be at risk if water levels rise by just 2 feet by 2070.

The capital of Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated cities and sits on the eastern bank of the Buriganga River in the heart of the Ganges delta. Flat and close to sea level it is prone to monsoon flooding and cyclones. As many as 11 million people and $540 billion of assets could be at risk if water levels rise by just 2 feet by 2070.

Holland's largest city sits in the mid-point of a broad swathe of North Sea coast stretching from Belgium to Germany that would be inundated for miles inland by storm surges or rises in sea levels of 6 feet. As many as 1.4 million people and $844 billion of assets could be at risk if water levels rise by just 2 feet by 2070 (and repeat those numbers for nearby Rotterdam).

Egypt's largest seaport would almost completely be submerged if the Mediterranean Sea rose by 6 feet as its Nile delta hinterland is below sea level. As many as 4.4 million people and $563 billion of assets could be at risk if water levels rise by just 2 feet by 2070.

Hurricane Katrina has already shown what a storm surge or rises in sea levels of 6 feet can do to the city at the mouth of the Mississippi and which has large portions of several parishes below sea level. As many as 1.4 million people and $1 trillion of assets could be at risk if water levels rise by just 2 feet by 2070.

Sitting on the northwestern corner of Tokyo Bay, Japan's capital would see its southeastern districts submerged by storm surges or rises in sea levels of 6 feet, along with most of the low-lying shores around the bay. There would also be extensive flooding along the Tone River to the north east. As many as 2.5 million people and $1.2 trillion of assets could be at risk if water levels rise by just 2 feet by 2070.

Much of southeastern Vietnam's tip would be submerged by storm surges or rises in sea levels of 6 feet including the southern districts of this bustling port city on the Saigon River. As many as 9.2 million people and $650 billion of assets could be at risk if water levels rise by just 2 feet by 2070.

Central Japan's commercial capital sits at the mouth of the Yodo River with its west side exposed to Osaka Bay; its shores to the south would be worst affected by storm surges and rises in sea levels of 6 feet. As many as 9.2 million people and $650 billion of assets could be at risk if water levels rise by just 2 feet by 2070.

Storm surges or rises in sea levels of 6 feet would submerge low-lying parts of the Hudson River valley as far north as Peekskill, as well as Newark Bay in New Jersey and much of the southern shore of Long Island. As many as 2.9 million people and $2.1 trillion of assets could be at risk if water levels rise by just 2 feet by 2070.

The main seaport in northern China and gateway to the capital Beijing to the west would see flooding of its districts along the shores of the Gulf of Bohai, particularly those to the south, from storm surges or rises in sea levels of 6 feet. As many as 3.8 million people and $1.2 trillion of assets could be at risk if water levels rise by just 2 feet by 2070.

Flat, low-lying and already prone to flooding, large swathes of the city, which sits in the Chao Phraya River delta, would be submerged by storm surges or rises in sea levels of 6 feet. As many as 5.1 million people and $1.1 trillion of assets could be at risk if water levels rise by just 2 feet by 2070.

Storm surges or rises in sea levels of 6 feet would take sea water far up the Yangtze River, flooding low lying land on its banks and spilling into the lakes along the way. The point where the Yangtze starts to narrow northwest of Nantong could be most badly flooded. As many as 5.5 million people and $1.7 trillion of assets could be at risk if water levels rise by just 2 feet by 2070.

The southern tip of Florida, including Miami and the Keys would mostly be underwater if there were storm surges or rises in sea levels of 6 feet. As many as 4.8 million people and $3.5 trillion of assets could be at risk if water levels rise by just 2 feet by 2070.

India's commercial capital would be cut off from the rest of the country as storm surges or rises in sea levels of 6 feet flowed up the Ulhas River and its tributaries. As many as 11 million people and $1.6 trillion of assets could be at risk if water levels rise by just 2 feet by 2070.

Storm surges or rises in sea levels of 6 feet would take sea water up the Pearl River delta and in to the heart of southern China's main city. Much of Hong Kong's northwestern and western shores would also be under water. As many as 10 million people and $3.4 trillion of assets could be at risk if water levels rise by just 2 feet by 2070.

India's eastern commercial capital is upriver from the coast but storm surges or rises in sea levels of 6 feet would reach the city's central western suburbs and much of the delta between it and the Bay of Bengal to the southeast would be submerged. As many as 14 million people and $2 trillion of assets could be at risk if water levels rise by just 2 feet by 2070.