Global warming’s hidden impacts

By now, it’s safe to assume pretty much everyone has heard about global warming. And most of those people probably associate it with melting snow, growing oceans, etc. Well, according to Livescience.com, there are some surprising outcomes of global warming that we might not be aware of. Here is the site’s top 10 list:

10. Worse allergies: As if we needed another reason to sneeze. The higher temps, in addition to higher CO2 levels, mean earlier blooming and therefore a longer allergy season.

9. Movin’ on up: The animals sense change, even if we don’t. Chipmunks and squirrels are moving to higher ground, as are polar bears.

8. Bloomin’ Arctic: Plants in the Arctic are loving the warmer temps, which give them more time to bloom.

7. Lakes disappear: In more Arctic news, lakes have been just plain disappearing—probably due to permafrost underneath them thawing and letting the water seep into the ground.

6. Thawing out: Permanently frozen soil beneath the Earth’s surface seems to be melting, which can cause sink holes and other damage, particularly in mountainous areas.

5. Survival of the fittest: Plants are blooming earlier. That means all those animals that waited ’til April to come out and eat might just be too late. So, the early bird really does catch the worm.

4. Satellites at warp speed: More C02 in the atmosphere means less drag on satellites—meaning they’re moving faster than before.

3. Mountains not high enough: The glaciers on the top of peaks in the Alps and other ranges are melting faster than before. And, what most people might not know is that when ice melts, the peak is able to grow—so mountains are actually getting bigger because of less resistance from glaciers.

2. Goodbye, history: Rising temps and water levels have the potential to ruin our most sacred of ruins.

1. On fire: Hotter, drier weather has meant more intense forest fires—especially in the Western United States.