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Far in California’s Sierra mountain range, massive glaciers are vanishing and expected to melt away entirely by the start of the coming hundred years, resulting in ice-free peaks for the first time in recorded human existence, recent studies has found.

Age-Old Beginnings of Sierra Range Ice Masses

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

“Our pieced-together ice age record indicates that a coming ice-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in the history of humankind since documented settlement of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the study declares.

Worldwide Risk to Glaciers

Ice masses globally are at risk during the climate crisis. A study published in the month of May of the current year determined that almost forty percent of ice sheets are destined to thaw because of climate warming. If this warming rises by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the planet is presently on track for, as up to 75% will disappear, causing ocean level increase and mass displacement.

Across the Western United States, glaciers have diminished significantly since they were initially recorded in the late 19th century, according to the article.

Focus on Key Glaciers

The new research focuses on four Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade glaciers – that are some of the largest and probably oldest in the mountain chain. Their longevity amid global heating makes them “indicators” for studying ice loss in the west, the article notes.

Study Techniques and Results

Researchers looked at recently exposed bedrock around the glaciers and took samples to ascertain how extensively the area was covered by glacial ice. They determined that the glaciers have covered swaths of the mountain system for far longer than previously known – since prior to humans inhabited North America.

The state's glaciers attained their maximum positions as long ago as thirty thousand years ago, the study's researchers stated, and a particular of the glaciers researchers looked at is thought to have grown seven thousand years ago, sooner than previously believed. The disappearance of glaciers, for the initial time in human history, demonstrates the dramatic effects of the climate crisis, one author of the study said.

Ecological and Symbolic Impact

“We’ll be the first to witness the ice-free peaks,” said Andrew Jones, the study’s lead author. “This has ecological implications for flora and fauna. And it’s a representational decline. Global warming is highly intangible, but these glaciers are concrete. They’re symbolic elements of the American West.”