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Deep in California’s Sierra Nevada, enormous glaciers are disappearing and expected to dissolve entirely by the beginning of the next century, resulting in summits without glaciers for the first time in recorded human existence, recent studies has discovered.

Ancient Beginnings of Sierra Range Glaciers

The mountain range’s ice sheets are older than previously known, tracing back many thousands of years, with a few as old as the most recent glacial period, according to a report released recently.

“Our reconstructed ice age record indicates that a coming glacier-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in the history of humankind since known settlement of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the study declares.

Global Risk to Ice Formations

Ice masses globally are at risk amid the climate crisis. A study released in the month of May of this year found that nearly 40% of ice sheets are destined to melt because of climate warming. If this warming rises by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the planet is currently on track for, as up to 75% will vanish, causing ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

Across the Western United States, ice formations have diminished significantly since they were initially recorded in the late 19th century, according to the report.

Concentration on Key Ice Bodies

The recent study focuses on four Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are among the largest and likely most ancient in the range. Their durability during climate warming makes them “indicators” for examining glacier disappearance in the west, the article notes.

Study Techniques and Results

Scientists examined newly uncovered bedrock around the glaciers and collected specimens to determine how extensively the area was blanketed by glacial ice. They determined that the ice masses have covered large areas of the mountain system for much longer than previously known – since before people occupied North America.

The state's glacial sheets attained their maximum positions as long ago as 30,000 years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and a particular of the glaciers experts looked at is believed to have expanded seven thousand years ago, earlier than previously believed. The disappearance of glaciers, for the initial time in recorded history, shows the profound effects of the climate crisis, a researcher of the study said.

Environmental and Symbolic Impact

“We’ll be the first to see the ice-free peaks,” said the study's lead researcher, the study’s lead author. “This has environmental ramifications for plants and animals. And it’s a representational decline. Global warming is very abstract, but these glaciers are concrete. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”