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Deep in the state of Sierra Nevada, massive glaciers are disappearing and projected to dissolve completely by the beginning of the coming hundred years, leaving ice-free peaks for the first time in recorded human existence, new research has discovered.

Age-Old Beginnings of Sierra Nevada Glaciers

The range's ice sheets are older than previously known, dating back many thousands of years, with some as old as the most recent glacial period, according to an article released last week.

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

Global Threat to Glaciers

Ice masses globally are at risk amid the climate crisis. A research published in May of the current year determined that almost forty percent of ice sheets are destined to melt because of climate warming. If this warming increases by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the world is currently on track 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 substantially since they were initially recorded in the late 19th century, according to the report.

Concentration on Major Ice Bodies

The recent study centers on four Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness ice sheets – that are some of the largest and likely most ancient in the mountain chain. Their longevity during global heating makes them “bellwethers” for studying glacier disappearance in the western region, the article notes.

Research Methods and Results

Researchers examined recently exposed bedrock around the glaciers and took samples to ascertain how extensively the area was blanketed by glacial ice. They found that the glaciers have covered large areas of the mountain system for far longer than earlier believed – since prior to humans occupied North America.

The state's glacial sheets attained their maximum positions as early as 30,000 years ago, the article’s authors stated, and a particular of the glaciers researchers studied is believed to have expanded 7,000 years ago, earlier than previously believed. The loss of glaciers, for the initial time in human history, demonstrates the dramatic effects of the climate crisis, a researcher of the investigation said.

Environmental and Symbolic Consequences

“We’ll be the first to witness the glacier-less summits,” said Andrew Jones, the principal investigator. “This has environmental ramifications for flora and fauna. And it’s a representational decline. Climate change is highly intangible, but these ice masses are concrete. They’re iconic features of the American West.”