The deadly impact of two warm winter days in Chicago - CBS Chicago

The deadly impact of two warm winter days in Chicago - CBS Chicago

The deadly impact of two warm winter days in Chicago

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Sunny skies, a dewy breeze, and the record-shattering warm temperatures at the end of February.

A stark contrast from what winter weather should be and, according to experts, a clear sign of climate change. Humans might enjoy short-sleeved temps, but it will have devastating consequences for other animals.

What is the impact of a single warm winter day, or two back-to-back?

It's more than just a blip.

Reptiles and amphibians

It's extremely confusing to many of the amphibians and reptiles that live in Cook County.

According to Chris Anchor, senior wildlife biologist at the Forest Preserves of Cook County, it tricks them into thinking it's already spring, causing the animals to emerge from the ground early.

"Instead of late February, they think it's late March or early April. They're moving away from their safety zones," Anchor said.

Those safety zones are what is called a hibernaculum, an underground protective covering where amphibians seek refuge during the winter.

Wednesday night, temperatures are expected to drop into the teens. A high of 76 degrees to a sharp wind chill of 4 degrees, according to CBS 2 meteorologists.

"If that doesn't kill them outright, it will make them immobile and very susceptible to predators. Raccoons, skunks, coyotes, possums, foxes, and birds of prey," Anchor said.

"That is going to take a big chunk out of the population. It's very detrimental to many species for this to happen," he said.

Right now, the biggest concern is for snakes. The slithery beings that are often negatively perceived, have a crucial role in biodiversity and have a direct benefit to human life.

Snakes eat rodents that can carry diseases, such as Lyme disease, according to the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Birds and the bees

The warmup from winter temperatures will also impact birds and their food supply.

"A lot of insects emerge due to the temperature, and when those insects emerge, migratory birds and migratory bats that feed on those insects will follow them," Anchor said.

Anchor predicted that the birds could follow the insects too far north and could possibly get stranded.

"They can fly south again, but they're going to use up a ton of very valuable energy in the form of calories, and that's going to affect their ability to reproduce, or they're going to reproduce at a much lower rate," he said.

The prediction is that climate change will make winter shorter and spring longer, and both will be warmer in the Midwest.

Longer springs are already having devastating impacts on bee populations in Chicago.

The Chicago area is home to more than 500 species of native bees, according to Anchor. Many of these bees are in sync or co-evolved with a particular plant.

"When that plant blooms, that bee has to emerge out of the ground and receive nectar and pollen from that plant," he said.

But because of earlier springs, the plants are flowering sooner than the bees.

"We're seeing a loss of native bees due to this inconsistency, this lack of synchronicity," Anchor said.

It's so troubling because many of the bees emerge from the ground for only two to three days, so there is little leeway.

"It's a very disturbing thing that we've been seeing over the years," he said. "If you look at the records over the last 100 years, many of our native plants are blooming weeks sooner than they were a hundred years ago."

"It's a very troubling consequence of early springs," Anchor said.

The human connection

It's not just wildlife that will feel the impact, but humans too.

According to Climate Central, a small change in average temperatures equals big changes in extremes.

"Many of the impacts of a warmer winter are cumulative, meaning every unusually warm day we have adds to the potential of the impact," Trent Ford, the Illinois State Climatologist said.

The risk of multiple tornadoes, large hail and thunderstorms loomed over Chicago on Tuesday.

"Earlier spring and later fall increase allergy season, which worsens air quality problems in the city," Ford said.

Humans are connected to climate change because it is primarily human activities, specifically the burning of fossil fuels, that is driving the fast heating of the planet.

What's the takeaway?

The humans and wildlife of Chicago are interconnected because they are part of the same ecosystem, or community of animals and plants that share the same soil, water, and air.

Climate change impacts biodiversity or the variety of animals and plants in an ecosystem.

The less biodiverse an ecosystem is, the less healthy an ecosystem is, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Biodiversity ensures health and food security, maintains water quality and helps store carbon from out of the atmosphere.

Therefore, human life is connected to the health of the reptiles, amphibians, birds, and bees that are facing the devastating consequences of climate change.

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