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Far in the state of Sierra Nevada, massive glaciers are disappearing and projected to melt away entirely by the start of the next century, leaving ice-free peaks for the first time in human history, new research has discovered.

Ancient Beginnings of Sierra Range Glaciers

The range's glaciers are more ancient than previously known, dating back many thousands of years, with some as old as the most recent glacial period, according to a report released last week.

“Our pieced-together glacial history shows that a future ice-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in the history of humankind since known peopling of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the article states.

Global Risk to Ice Formations

Glaciers around the world are at risk amid the climate crisis. A study released in the month of May of the current year determined that nearly 40% of glaciers are doomed to melt because of global heating. If this warming increases by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the planet is currently on course for, as many as seventy-five percent will disappear, leading to ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

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

Concentration on Key Ice Bodies

The new research focuses on several Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade ice sheets – that are some of the biggest and probably oldest in the range. Their durability during global heating makes them “indicators” for examining ice loss in the western region, the article states.

Research Methods and Findings

Scientists looked at newly uncovered base rock around the glaciers and took samples to determine how long the region was blanketed by ice. They found that the glaciers have covered large areas of the range for far longer than previously known – since prior to humans inhabited North America.

California’s glacial sheets reached their maximum positions as long ago as 30,000 years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and a particular of the glaciers researchers studied is believed to have expanded 7,000 years ago, sooner than once thought. The disappearance of glaciers, for the initial time in human history, demonstrates the dramatic effects of the climate change, one author of the study said.

Environmental and Representational Consequences

“We’ll be the initial ones to witness 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. Global warming is very abstract, but these ice masses are concrete. They’re symbolic elements of the American West.”