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Far in the state of Sierra Nevada, enormous ice formations are disappearing and projected to melt away completely by the start of the next century, leaving summits without glaciers for the first time in human history, recent studies has found.

Ancient Origins of Sierra Nevada Glaciers

The mountain range’s ice sheets are more ancient than previously known, tracing back many thousands of years, with a few as ancient as the most recent glacial period, according to an article released last week.

“Our reconstructed glacial history shows that a future glacier-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in human history since documented settlement of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the study states.

Worldwide Risk to Glaciers

Ice masses globally are at risk during the climate emergency. A study published in May of this year determined that nearly 40% of ice sheets are doomed to melt because of climate warming. If this warming rises by 2.7C, which the world is presently on track for, as many as 75% will vanish, causing sea level rise and mass displacement.

Across the Western United States, glaciers have diminished significantly since they were first documented in the late 19th century, according to the report.

Focus on Key Glaciers

The recent study centers on four Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness ice sheets – that are among the biggest and likely oldest in the mountain chain. Their durability during global heating makes them “indicators” for studying glacier disappearance in the west, the study notes.

Research Methods and Findings

Researchers looked at recently exposed bedrock around the glaciers and took samples to ascertain how extensively the area was covered by ice. They found that the ice masses have covered swaths of the range for much longer than earlier believed – since before people occupied North America.

California’s glacial sheets reached their maximum positions as early as 30,000 years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and one of the ice bodies experts looked at is believed to have expanded seven thousand years ago, sooner than once thought. The loss of ice formations, for the initial time in human history, demonstrates the dramatic effects of the climate change, one author of the investigation said.

Environmental and Symbolic Impact

“We’ll be the first to witness the ice-free peaks,” said the study's lead researcher, the study’s lead author. “This has environmental ramifications for flora and fauna. And it’s a representational decline. Climate change is highly intangible, but these ice masses are tangible. They’re symbolic elements of the American West.”