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Deep in California’s Sierra Nevada, enormous ice formations are disappearing and expected to melt away completely by the beginning of the next century, resulting in summits without glaciers for the first time in human history, recent studies has found.

Age-Old Origins of Sierra Range Ice Masses

The range's ice sheets are more ancient than earlier understood, dating back many thousands of years, with a few as old as the most recent glacial period, according to an article published recently.

“Our pieced-together glacial history indicates that a future ice-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in human history since documented peopling of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the article states.

Global Risk to Glaciers

Ice masses around the world are at risk amid the climate emergency. A study published in the month of May of the current year determined that almost forty percent of glaciers are destined to thaw because of global heating. If such heating increases by 2.7C, which the planet is presently on course for, as up to seventy-five percent will disappear, leading to sea level rise and large-scale relocation.

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

Focus on Major Ice Bodies

The new research focuses on four Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are some of the biggest and probably most ancient in the mountain chain. Their longevity during global heating makes them “bellwethers” for studying ice loss in the western region, the study notes.

Research Methods and Findings

Researchers examined recently exposed base rock around the glaciers and took samples to ascertain how extensively the region was blanketed by ice. They found that the glaciers have covered swaths of the mountain system for much longer than previously known – since before humans occupied North America.

The state's glaciers reached their peak extents as long ago as 30,000 years ago, the article’s authors stated, and a particular of the glaciers experts studied is believed to have expanded 7,000 years ago, sooner than once thought. The loss of ice formations, for the first time in human history, shows the profound impacts of the climate change, one author of the study said.

Environmental and Symbolic Impact

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