Curious if my crunches are going to be effective since I can barely lift my scapulae completely away from the floor, and sometimes the clearance is less than 1/8th of an inch?

Do you feels your abs contracting? If so they are working. I'd also suggest flipping over and doing some planks.

There are LOTS of abs exercises beside crunches!

Mel

planks. I can do that!

Yes, crunches can be effective even if you can only lift about 1/8th of an inch. As you progress, your crunch will increase. Crunches are not about a huge lift off the floor, like a sit up is.

There are many other ab exercises to do also. Mix them up to hit your abs in a variety of ways. Again, don't forget to do the opposite exercises also- your lower back. As mentioned, planks are one of the absolute best core exercises to do.