Archaeologists can make a valuable contribution to discussions about the effects of climate change by examining shifts in living conditions that affected humans in the past. Archaeologists themselves are also affected by climate change because the archaeological heritage is vulnerable both to the effects of global warming and to measures aimed at coping with it. Rising sea levels are endangering sites in many areas, for example the Mesolithic sites of California's Channel Islands. Elsewhere, severe storms have increased coastal erosion that is destroying archaeological sites, notably prehistoric sites in Scotland. Warmer temperatures will also lead to shrinking glaciers, already very evident in the Swiss Alps, and the thawing of permafrost in Siberia. Although these changes will reveal long-hidden archaeological remains (such as the famous prehistoric Ice Man), many more will be destroyed without record. Heritage management bodies around the world are drawing up reports to assess which threats are likely to have the most impact, but the scale and pace of these is currently far from clear.