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Far in California’s Sierra Nevada, massive glaciers are disappearing and projected to dissolve entirely by the beginning of the next century, leaving summits without glaciers for the initial occasion in recorded human existence, recent studies has discovered.

Age-Old Origins of Sierra Range Ice Masses

The mountain range’s glaciers are older than previously known, tracing back tens of thousands of years, with a few as ancient as the last ice age, according to a report released last week.

“Our reconstructed glacial history indicates that a future glacier-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in the history of humankind since documented peopling of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the article states.

Global Threat to Ice Formations

Glaciers globally are at risk during the climate emergency. A research published in May of this year found that almost forty percent of glaciers are doomed to melt because of global heating. If this warming rises by 2.7C, which the world is presently on track for, as up to 75% will disappear, causing sea level rise and large-scale relocation.

Throughout the American west, ice formations have shrunk substantially since they were initially recorded in the 1800s, according to the report.

Concentration on Key Ice Bodies

The new research focuses on four Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade ice sheets – that are among the largest and probably most ancient in the mountain chain. Their longevity during global heating makes them “bellwethers” for studying ice loss in the west, the study states.

Research Methods and Findings

Researchers examined newly uncovered bedrock around the glaciers and took samples to ascertain how long the area was blanketed by ice. They found that the glaciers have enveloped large areas of the mountain system for much longer than earlier believed – since prior to humans inhabited North America.

The state's glaciers reached their maximum positions as long ago as thirty thousand years ago, the article’s authors wrote, and one of the glaciers researchers looked at is thought to have grown seven thousand years ago, earlier than previously believed. The disappearance of glaciers, for the first time in human history, shows the profound impacts of the climate crisis, a researcher of the study said.

Environmental and Symbolic Impact

“We’ll be the initial ones to witness the glacier-less summits,” said Andrew Jones, the principal investigator. “This has environmental implications for plants and animals. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is very abstract, but these ice masses are tangible. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”