The diminishing snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere is bringing some plants and animals to the brink of extinction.

Melting snow caps and diminishing snow blankets have been a growing issue of concern. Scientists have repeatedly released studies that talk about the damaging effects of the phenomenon. One such study that was recently conducted suggests the diminishing snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere is a threat to some plants and animals, possibly pushing them to brink of extinction.

For many plants and animals in the region, the thick snow blanket acts as a cover to protect them from the harsh winter weather. The blanket offers them warmer temperatures and keeps away the chilling wind along with providing them enough humidity. Many living organisms from bacteria to bears depend on this "subnivium" habitat for survival during winters.

"Underneath that homogeneous blanket of snow is an incredibly stable refuge where the vast majority of organisms persist through the winter," said Jonathan Pauli, a UW-Madison professor of forest and wildlife ecology and a co-author of the new report, according to a news release. "The snow holds in heat radiating from the ground, plants photosynthesize, and it's a haven for insects, reptiles, amphibians and many other organisms."

Pauli and his colleagues stated that according to the data recorded since 1970 in the crucial spring months of March and April, snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased by approximately 3.2 million square kilometers. They also discovered that the maximum snowfall period has shifted to January from February and the spring snow-melt period as been brought forward by nearly two weeks.

Diminishing snow habitats have prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department to call for placing the wolverine, which lives in the snowy highlands of the American Rocky Mountains, on the endangered species list, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.