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Far in the state of Sierra Nevada, enormous ice formations are vanishing and projected to dissolve completely by the beginning of the coming hundred years, leaving summits without glaciers for the initial occasion in human history, recent studies has found.

Age-Old Beginnings of Sierra Nevada Ice Masses

The range's ice sheets are more ancient than earlier understood, tracing back tens of thousands of years, with some as ancient as the last ice age, according to an article released last week.

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

Global Risk to Glaciers

Ice masses globally are under threat during the climate crisis. A study published in May of this year found that almost forty percent of ice sheets are doomed to thaw because of climate warming. If this warming increases by 2.7C, which the planet is currently on track for, as many as 75% will disappear, leading to sea level rise 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.

Concentration on Key Ice Bodies

The recent study focuses on several Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade glaciers – that are some of the largest and likely most ancient in the range. Their longevity during global heating makes them “indicators” for studying ice loss in the western region, the study notes.

Study Techniques and Results

Researchers looked at recently exposed base rock around the glaciers and took samples to determine how extensively the area was covered by ice. They determined that the ice masses have enveloped swaths of the mountain system for far longer than earlier believed – since prior to humans inhabited North America.

California’s glaciers reached their peak extents as long ago as 30,000 years ago, the study's researchers stated, and one of the ice bodies researchers studied is believed to have expanded seven thousand years ago, earlier than once thought. The loss of ice formations, for the first time in recorded history, demonstrates the profound impacts of the climate crisis, a researcher of the investigation said.

Environmental and Symbolic Impact

“We’ll be the initial ones to witness the glacier-less summits,” said Andrew Jones, the study’s lead author. “This has environmental implications for plants and animals. And it’s a representational decline. Global warming is highly intangible, but these ice masses are concrete. They’re symbolic elements of the Western U.S..”