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Deep in California’s Sierra mountain range, enormous glaciers are vanishing and expected to melt away entirely by the start of the next century, leaving ice-free peaks for the initial occasion in human history, new research has discovered.

Age-Old Beginnings of Sierra Nevada Ice Masses

The range's ice sheets are more ancient than previously known, tracing back many thousands of years, with a few as ancient as the most recent glacial period, according to an article published last week.

“Our pieced-together glacial history shows that a coming glacier-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in human history since known peopling of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the article declares.

Global Threat to Ice Formations

Ice masses globally are under threat during the climate emergency. A study published in the month of May of this year determined that almost forty percent of ice sheets are doomed to thaw because of global heating. If such heating increases by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the planet is currently on track for, as up to 75% will vanish, leading to ocean level increase and mass displacement.

Across the American west, ice formations have shrunk significantly since they were initially recorded in the 1800s, according to the report.

Concentration on Major Ice Bodies

The recent study centers on four Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are some of the largest and probably oldest in the range. Their longevity during global heating makes them “bellwethers” for examining ice loss in the west, the article notes.

Research Methods and Results

Scientists examined recently exposed bedrock around the glaciers and took samples to ascertain how long the area was covered by glacial ice. They determined that the ice masses have covered large areas of the mountain system for far longer than earlier believed – since prior to people inhabited North America.

California’s glacial sheets attained their peak extents as long ago as 30,000 years ago, the article’s authors wrote, and one of the ice bodies experts looked at is believed to have grown 7,000 years ago, earlier than previously believed. The loss of ice formations, for the initial time in recorded history, demonstrates the dramatic impacts of the climate change, a researcher of the study said.

Environmental and Symbolic Consequences

“We’ll be the initial ones to see the glacier-less summits,” said Andrew Jones, the principal investigator. “This has ecological ramifications for flora and fauna. And it’s a symbolic loss. Global warming is highly intangible, but these glaciers are tangible. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”