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Deep in California’s Sierra mountain range, enormous glaciers are vanishing and projected to melt away completely by the start of the coming hundred years, leaving summits without glaciers for the first time in recorded human existence, new research has discovered.

Age-Old Beginnings of Sierra Nevada Ice Masses

The range's ice sheets are older than previously known, tracing back many thousands of years, with a few as ancient as the last ice age, according to an article released last week.

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

Worldwide Threat to Ice Formations

Glaciers around the world are under threat during the climate emergency. A study published in May of this year found that almost forty percent of ice sheets are destined to thaw because of global heating. If this warming increases by 2.7C, which the planet is presently on course for, as many as 75% will vanish, causing sea level rise and mass displacement.

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

Concentration on Key Glaciers

The new research centers on several Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are some of the largest and likely most ancient in the range. Their longevity during climate warming makes them “bellwethers” for studying ice loss in the western region, the study states.

Research Methods and Results

Researchers looked at newly uncovered bedrock around the glaciers and took samples to ascertain how extensively the area was covered by glacial ice. They found that the glaciers have covered large areas of the range for much longer than earlier believed – since before humans inhabited North America.

The state's glaciers reached their peak extents as early as 30,000 years ago, the article’s authors stated, and one of the glaciers researchers studied is believed to have grown 7,000 years ago, sooner than once thought. The loss of glaciers, for the initial time in human history, demonstrates the profound impacts of the climate change, one author of the investigation said.

Ecological and Symbolic Impact

“We’ll be the initial ones to see the ice-free peaks,” said Andrew Jones, the principal investigator. “This has environmental ramifications for flora and fauna. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is very abstract, but these glaciers are concrete. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”