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Far in the state of Sierra Nevada, massive glaciers are disappearing and expected to dissolve completely by the start of the coming hundred years, resulting in summits without glaciers for the initial occasion in recorded human existence, new research has found.

Age-Old Origins of Sierra Nevada Glaciers

The range's ice sheets are more ancient than earlier understood, tracing back many thousands of years, with some as old as the most recent glacial period, according to an article released recently.

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

Global Threat to Ice Formations

Ice masses globally are under threat amid the climate emergency. A research released in May of this year determined that almost forty percent of glaciers are doomed to thaw because of climate warming. If such heating increases by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the planet is presently on track for, as up to 75% will vanish, causing ocean level increase and mass displacement.

Throughout the American west, glaciers have shrunk substantially since they were initially recorded in the late 19th century, according to the article.

Focus on Major Glaciers

The new research focuses on several Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade glaciers – that are among the largest and probably most ancient in the mountain chain. Their durability amid climate warming makes them “bellwethers” for examining ice loss in the western region, the article notes.

Research Methods and Results

Scientists examined recently exposed bedrock around the ice formations and took samples to ascertain how extensively the area was covered by ice. They found that the glaciers have enveloped large areas of the mountain system for much longer than earlier believed – since prior to people inhabited North America.

The state's glaciers reached their peak extents as long ago as thirty thousand years ago, the study's researchers stated, and one of the glaciers experts studied is thought to have expanded seven thousand years ago, earlier than previously believed. The loss of glaciers, for the first time in recorded history, shows the dramatic effects of the climate change, one author of the investigation said.

Environmental and Symbolic Consequences

“We’ll be the initial ones to see the glacier-less summits,” said Andrew Jones, the principal investigator. “This has ecological ramifications for plants and animals. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is highly intangible, but these ice masses are tangible. They’re symbolic elements of the Western U.S..”