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Far in the state of Sierra Nevada, enormous glaciers are disappearing and expected to dissolve completely by the beginning of the coming hundred years, resulting in ice-free peaks for the initial occasion in recorded human existence, new research has found.

Ancient Origins of Sierra Nevada Glaciers

The range's glaciers are more ancient than previously known, dating back many thousands of years, with a few as ancient as the last ice age, according to an article published recently.

“Our pieced-together ice age record indicates that a future ice-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in human history since known peopling of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the study declares.

Worldwide Threat to Glaciers

Ice masses globally are at risk during the climate emergency. A study published in the month of May of the current year found that almost forty percent of glaciers are destined to melt because of global heating. If this warming rises by 2.7C, which the planet is currently on course for, as many as 75% will vanish, causing ocean level increase and mass displacement.

Throughout the American west, ice formations have diminished 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 Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade glaciers – that are some of the largest and likely oldest in the range. Their durability amid climate warming makes them “indicators” for studying glacier disappearance in the west, the study notes.

Research Methods and Results

Researchers examined recently exposed base rock around the glaciers and took samples to ascertain how long the area was covered by ice. They determined that the ice masses have covered swaths of the mountain system for much longer than earlier believed – since before people inhabited North America.

California’s glacial sheets attained their maximum positions as early as 30,000 years ago, the article’s authors wrote, and one of the glaciers experts studied is thought to have expanded seven thousand years ago, earlier than previously believed. The loss of ice formations, for the first time in recorded history, demonstrates the profound impacts of the climate crisis, a researcher of the study said.

Environmental and Representational Impact

“We’ll be the initial ones to witness the glacier-less summits,” said the study's lead researcher, the principal investigator. “This has ecological ramifications 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..”