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Far in California’s Sierra mountain range, massive glaciers are vanishing and projected to dissolve entirely by the start of the coming hundred years, leaving ice-free peaks for the first time in recorded human existence, new research has discovered.

Age-Old Beginnings of Sierra Range Ice Masses

The mountain range’s glaciers are more ancient than previously known, tracing back many thousands of years, with some as old as the most recent glacial period, according to a report published recently.

“Our pieced-together ice age record indicates that a coming glacier-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in human history since known peopling of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the study states.

Global Threat to Glaciers

Ice masses around the world are under threat during the climate crisis. A study published 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 2.7C, which the planet is presently on course for, as up to 75% will disappear, leading to ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

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

Focus on Major Ice Bodies

The new research centers 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 longevity amid global heating makes them “indicators” for examining glacier disappearance in the western region, the article states.

Research Methods and Results

Researchers looked at recently exposed bedrock around the glaciers and collected specimens to determine how long the area was blanketed by glacial ice. They determined that the glaciers have covered large areas of the range for far longer than earlier believed – since before humans occupied North America.

California’s glaciers attained their peak extents as early as thirty thousand years ago, the article’s authors wrote, and a particular of the ice bodies experts studied is believed to have expanded 7,000 years ago, earlier than previously believed. The loss of ice formations, for the first time in recorded history, shows the profound impacts of the climate change, a researcher of the study said.

Ecological and Representational Consequences

“We’ll be the first to witness the glacier-less summits,” said Andrew Jones, the study’s lead author. “This has environmental implications for flora and fauna. And it’s a symbolic loss. Global warming is very abstract, but these glaciers are tangible. They’re iconic features of the American West.”