So we’ve all pretty much heard about the horrible effects of global warming: rising temperatures, melting ice caps and rising sea levels in the future. What most don’t know is that the changing climate is already wreaking havoc on our world in very weird ways. So get ready for such strange effects as rampaging wildfires, icebergs the size of Manhattan, disappearing lakes, freak allergies, and the re-emergence of once long-gone disease. SCARY!

Aggravated Allergies

Have you noticed that come spring your itchy eyes and sneeze attacks are ten times worst than they were just five years ago? Well, blame it on global warming. Over the past few decades, more and more Americans have started suffering from seasonal allergies and, even worst, asthma. Yes, it’s true that lifestyle changes and pollution leave people more vulnerable to those hateful allergens they inhale, but research proves that the higher carbon dioxide levels and warmer temperatures associated with global warming are also contributing by making plants bloom earlier so they release that allergy inducing pollen earlier and making them produce even more of the sneezy stuff. With more allergens produced earlier, allergy season can last longer. So buy your tissues wholesale ‘cause you’re gonna need ‘em.

Heading for the Hills

Has it been a while since you saw your favorite furry animal the chipmunk or squirrel? You can blame that on global warming! Researchers found that many of these animals have moved to higher ground and that may due to changes in their habitat caused by global warming. And as the sea ice polar bears live on slowly melts away, so does their habitat … so don’t be surprised if you see one pop up in your back yard one day … Kidding of course!

Arctic in Bloom

The Arctic is getting greener! How so? Well, the plants that usually remain trapped in ice for most of the year are getting more exposure because when the ice melts earlier in the spring, the plants seem to be eager to start growing. Doesn’t sound like a bad thing, does it? Well, considering that this isn’t exactly natural, it can’t be good.

Pulling the Plug

125 lakes in the Arctic have vanished in the past few decades. If that ain’t proof that global warming is working fiendishly fast near the poles, I don’t know what is! So where has all this water gone? Researchers think the normally frozen ground under the water thawed, allowing the water to seep through the soil. Need a visual? Imagine pulling the plug on the bathtub. That’s about right. So why is this bad? Well, when the lakes disappear, the fish and other life forms that once lived in them lose their home. Poor fishies!

The Big Thaw

The rising temperature of the planet is also thawing out soil that’s been frozen for eons. This “melting” can cause the ground to shrink and usually occurs unevenly, so it could lead to sink holes and damage to structures such as railroad tracks, highways and houses. And when this happens on a mountain, the result can be rockslides and mudslides. What’s even more terrifying is that recent discoveries reveal that there are bodies in that frozen ground that can harbor long-dead diseases like smallpox! Oh no!

Survival of the Fittest

You may be enjoying the early start to spring but this doesn’t bode well for all species. How so? Plants bloom earlier in the year as a result of an early spring but most animals haven’t caught up to this change. They’re still on “old time,” meaing they don’t migrate until later so they miss out on tons of food! Those who can adjust their internal clocks and set out earlier stand a better chance at having offspring that survive and thus pass on their genetic information. So what does this all mean? The entire genetic profile of an entire population of species can be affected by an early spring! Who knew?

Rebounding Mountains

Though the average hiker wouldn't notice, the Alps and other mountain ranges have grown over the past century or so thanks to the melting of the glaciers that are on top of them. For thousands of years, the weight of these glaciers has pushed against the Earth's surface, causing it to depress (or lower). As the glaciers melt, this weight is lifting, and the surface slowly is springing back. Because global warming speeds up the melting of these glaciers, the mountains are rebounding faster, so they’re getting bigger.

Ruined Ruins

All over the globe, temples, ancient settlements and other artifacts stand as monuments to civilizations past that until now have withstood the tests of time – think of the Pyramids of Giza or Macchu Picchu. But the immediate effects of global warming may finally destroy them. Rising seas and more extreme weather (like freak hurricanes and monsoons) have the potential to damage irreplaceable sites. Floods that have been attributed to global warming have already damaged a 600-year-old site, Sukhothai, which was once the capital of a Thai kingdom.

Forest Fire Frenzy

Yes, global warming is melting ice and creating more intense hurricanes (remember Katrina?), but it also seems to be heating up forest fires in the US. In western states over the past few decades, more wildfires have blazed across the countryside, burning more area for longer periods of time, like last year’s fires in California. Scientists have correlated the rampant blazes with warmer temperatures and earlier snowmelt. When spring arrives early, the snow melts earlier, so forest areas become drier and stay dry so for longer periods of time, thus increasing the chance that they might ignite.

Source:
Live Science