SYDNEY: The largest study of its kind reveals that global warming is already having a massive effect on life across the planet – greater even than habitat loss and deforestation.
The study, which analysed nearly 30,000 data sets stretching back to 1970, suggests that warnings spelt out last year by the U.N. underestimated the impact of the problem.
Significant changes
The data set covered phenomena as varied as the earlier leafing of trees and plants; the movement of species to higher latitudes and altitudes in the northern hemisphere in response to warmer weather; the shrinkage of glaciers and melting of permafrost; and changes of bird migrations in Europe, North America and Australia.
The study concludes that "significant changes" are already occurring among natural systems on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica, and in most oceans.
Published today in the U.K. journal Nature, it goes beyond the scope of the landmark report issued by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in February 2007.
From Cosmos
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