🔗 Share this article

Far in the state of Sierra mountain range, enormous glaciers are disappearing and projected to dissolve completely by the start of the next century, resulting in ice-free peaks for the initial occasion in human history, recent studies has discovered.

Age-Old Origins of Sierra Range Glaciers

The range's glaciers are more ancient than earlier understood, dating back tens of thousands of years, with some as old as the most recent glacial period, according to a report published last week.

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

Global Threat to Glaciers

Glaciers globally are at risk amid the climate emergency. A study published in May of the current year determined that nearly 40% of ice sheets are doomed to melt because of global heating. If such heating increases by 2.7C, which the planet is currently on track for, as up to 75% will vanish, leading to sea level rise and large-scale relocation.

Throughout the Western United States, ice formations have diminished substantially since they were first documented in the late 19th century, according to the article.

Concentration on Key Glaciers

The recent study centers on four Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness 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 west, the study states.

Study Techniques and Findings

Scientists examined newly uncovered base rock around the ice formations and collected specimens to determine how long the area was blanketed by ice. They determined that the ice masses have enveloped swaths of the mountain system for much longer than earlier believed – since before people occupied North America.

California’s glacial sheets attained their maximum positions as early as thirty thousand years ago, the article’s authors stated, and a particular of the glaciers researchers studied is believed to have grown seven thousand years ago, earlier than previously believed. The disappearance of ice formations, for the first time in human history, shows the profound effects of the climate crisis, a researcher of the study said.

Environmental and Representational Impact

“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 environmental ramifications for plants and animals. And it’s a symbolic loss. Global warming is highly intangible, but these glaciers are concrete. They’re symbolic elements of the Western U.S..”