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Deep in California’s Sierra Nevada, enormous ice formations are vanishing and expected to dissolve entirely by the start of the next century, resulting in ice-free peaks for the initial occasion in human history, recent studies has found.

Age-Old Beginnings of Sierra Range Glaciers

The mountain range’s ice sheets are older than previously known, dating back tens of thousands of years, with some as ancient as the last ice age, according to a report published last week.

“Our pieced-together ice age record indicates that a future ice-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in the history of humankind since documented settlement of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the article declares.

Worldwide Risk to Glaciers

Glaciers globally are under threat during the climate emergency. A research released in May of this year determined that nearly 40% of glaciers are destined to melt because of climate warming. If this warming rises by 2.7C, which the planet is currently on course for, as many as seventy-five percent will vanish, leading to ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

Across the American west, ice formations have shrunk significantly since they were initially recorded in the late 19th century, according to the article.

Focus on Key Ice Bodies

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

Study Techniques and Findings

Researchers examined newly uncovered base rock around the ice formations and took samples to ascertain how long the area was blanketed by ice. They determined that the glaciers have covered large areas of the mountain system for far longer than previously known – since before people inhabited North America.

California’s glacial sheets attained their peak extents as long ago as 30,000 years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and a particular of the ice bodies researchers studied is believed to have grown seven thousand years ago, sooner than once thought. The loss of ice formations, for the first time in human history, shows the dramatic effects of the climate change, one author of the study said.

Environmental and Symbolic Consequences

“We’ll be the first to see the ice-free peaks,” said the study's lead researcher, the study’s lead author. “This has ecological implications for flora and fauna. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is highly intangible, but these ice masses are tangible. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”