🔗 Share this article Glacier Thawing Will Lead to Glacier-Less Peaks in the Golden State for First Instance in Recorded History Far in California’s Sierra Nevada, enormous ice formations are disappearing and expected to dissolve entirely by the beginning of the next century, resulting in ice-free peaks for the first time in human history, recent studies has found. Age-Old Origins of Sierra Nevada Ice Masses The range's ice sheets are more ancient than earlier understood, dating back many thousands of years, with a few as old as the most recent glacial period, according to an article released last week. “Our reconstructed ice age record indicates that a coming ice-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in human history since documented settlement of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the article declares. Global Risk to Ice Formations Ice masses globally are under threat during the climate emergency. A research released in the month of May of the current year determined that almost forty percent of ice sheets are destined to melt because of global heating. If such heating rises by 2.7C, which the planet is currently on track for, as up to seventy-five percent will vanish, leading to ocean level increase and mass displacement. Throughout the Western United States, ice formations have diminished significantly since they were initially recorded in the late 19th century, according to the article. Concentration on Major Ice Bodies The new research focuses on several Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are some of the biggest and likely most ancient in the mountain chain. Their longevity amid climate warming makes them “bellwethers” for studying ice loss in the western region, the article states. Study Techniques and Findings Researchers examined recently exposed bedrock around the ice formations and collected specimens to ascertain how long the region was blanketed by glacial ice. They found that the ice masses have enveloped large areas of the range for far longer than previously known – since prior to people inhabited North America. California’s glacial sheets reached their peak extents as long ago as 30,000 years ago, the article’s authors stated, and one of the glaciers researchers studied is thought to have expanded seven thousand years ago, sooner than previously believed. The disappearance of ice formations, for the initial time in human history, demonstrates the dramatic impacts of the climate crisis, a researcher of the study said. Ecological and Symbolic Consequences “We’ll be the first to see the ice-free peaks,” said the study's lead researcher, the principal investigator. “This has ecological implications for flora and fauna. And it’s a representational decline. Climate change is very abstract, but these glaciers are tangible. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”