Glacier Melt Is Set to Ice-Free Summits in the Golden State for First Instance in Human History

Deep in the state of Sierra mountain range, massive ice formations are disappearing and projected to dissolve entirely by the start of the next century, resulting in ice-free peaks for the initial occasion in human history, recent studies has found.

Age-Old Beginnings of Sierra Range Glaciers

The mountain range’s glaciers are more ancient than previously known, dating back tens of thousands of years, with some as old as the most recent glacial period, according to an article released last week.

“Our reconstructed glacial history shows that a future ice-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in human history since documented peopling of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the article declares.

Worldwide Risk to Ice Formations

Glaciers around the world are under threat amid the climate emergency. A research released in the month of May of the current year determined that almost forty percent of glaciers are destined to thaw because of global heating. If this warming rises by 2.7C, which the planet is presently on course for, as up to seventy-five percent will vanish, causing ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

Throughout the American west, glaciers have shrunk substantially since they were first documented in the late 19th century, according to the report.

Focus on Key Ice Bodies

The recent study centers on four Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade glaciers – that are some of the biggest and likely most ancient in the range. Their longevity during global heating makes them “indicators” for examining ice loss in the west, the study notes.

Study Techniques and Results

Scientists examined recently exposed bedrock around the glaciers and took samples to determine how extensively the region was blanketed by glacial ice. They determined that the ice masses have enveloped swaths of the mountain system for far longer than previously known – since before humans inhabited North America.

California’s glacial sheets reached their peak extents as early as 30,000 years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and one of the glaciers researchers looked at is believed to have grown seven thousand years ago, earlier than previously believed. The disappearance of glaciers, for the initial time in human history, demonstrates the dramatic effects of the climate change, one author of the study said.

Environmental and Symbolic Consequences

“We’ll be the initial ones to witness the ice-free peaks,” said Andrew Jones, the principal investigator. “This has environmental ramifications for plants and animals. And it’s a representational decline. Global warming is highly intangible, but these ice masses are tangible. They’re symbolic elements of the American West.”