6 Effects of Global Warming, Here and Now, in the U.S.

Droughts. Floods. Wildfires. Glacial melting. Sea level rise. Ocean acidification. The results of greenhouse gas pollution are already being detected in the United States, the Government Accountability Office reported Thursday.

And yet, the federal agencies responsible for watching over U.S. lands have not made climate change a priority -- leaving national parks, forests and wildlife preserves vulnerable to the effects. The lack of attention leaves some of America's most iconic and cherished landscapes, along with other unique landscapes and wildlife, at risk.

Here's a snapshot of some of the effects already detected, according to the panel of experts convened by the GAO, the nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress:

• Warmer springs have resulted in earlier snowmelt, longer summer drought, and more intense and frequent wildfires in the Western United States.
• Glaciers, including those at Glacier National Park, are melting. Since 1850, the estimated number of glaciers in the park has dropped from 150 to 26, and the remaining glaciers could be gone this generation.
• Rising sea levels have already swamped Big Pine Key in the Florida Keys.
• The spruce bark beetle in Alaska is one of several insects or diseases that has the potential to wipe out large areas of forest. The beetle has affected 1 million acres.
• Drought, fueled in part by climate change, is fueling a cycle of fire and invasion by foreign grasses that threaten desert landscapes, including those at Joshua Tree National Park.
• Corals are being bleached by stress form warmer waters in the Florida Keys, affecting tourism and the health of a wide array of sea life that relies on the corals.

Despite these documented effects -- and the prediction of many others to come -- the five land management agencies have yet to make climate change a priority, the GAO report found. To read it, click here.

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