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Deep in the state of Sierra Nevada, massive glaciers are disappearing and expected to dissolve entirely by the beginning of the next century, leaving ice-free peaks for the first time in human history, new research has found.

Ancient Beginnings of Sierra Nevada Ice Masses

The range's glaciers are more ancient than previously known, tracing back tens of thousands of years, with a few as ancient as the most recent glacial period, according to an article published recently.

“Our pieced-together glacial history indicates that a coming ice-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in the history of humankind since documented settlement of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the article states.

Global Threat to Ice Formations

Glaciers around the world are at risk amid the climate emergency. A study published in May of this year found that nearly 40% of ice sheets are doomed to melt because of global heating. If such heating rises by 2.7C, which the planet is currently on course for, as up to seventy-five percent will disappear, leading to ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

Across the Western United States, glaciers have diminished substantially since they were initially recorded in the 1800s, according to the article.

Concentration on Key Ice Bodies

The recent study centers on several Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness ice sheets – that are among the biggest and probably oldest in the range. Their longevity amid global heating makes them “indicators” for examining ice loss in the western region, the article notes.

Research Methods and Results

Scientists looked at recently exposed base rock around the ice formations and collected specimens to ascertain how long the area was blanketed by glacial ice. They determined that the ice masses have enveloped large areas of the range for much longer than earlier believed – since before people occupied North America.

California’s glaciers attained their peak extents as early as thirty thousand years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and a particular of the ice bodies experts studied is believed to have grown 7,000 years ago, earlier than once thought. The disappearance of glaciers, for the first time in recorded history, demonstrates the dramatic effects of the climate crisis, a researcher of the investigation said.

Environmental and Symbolic Consequences

“We’ll be the initial ones to witness the glacier-less summits,” said the study's lead researcher, the principal investigator. “This has ecological ramifications for flora and fauna. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is highly intangible, but these glaciers are concrete. They’re symbolic elements of the Western U.S..”