Scientists say global warming is actually making the world's mountains taller. Glaciers are causing the Earth's crust to to flex inward and when the glasciers disappear, the crust springs back out and the mountains are pushed further skyward.

The research is written in the July Issue of "Geophysical Research Letters."

Scientists say that glacier shrinkage is responsible for half of the observed increase, while other factors, such as shifting tectonic plates, erosion and drainage, are responsible for the rest.

Some scientists also theorize that if the air temperatures in the summer continue to warm by just 5 degrees, by the end of the century, 80 percent of the Alps' glaciers will be gone by 2010.