🔗 Share this article Ice Sheet Thawing Will Lead to Glacier-Less Summits in the Golden State for First Instance in Recorded History Far in the state of Sierra Nevada, massive ice formations are disappearing and expected to dissolve completely by the start of the next century, resulting in summits without glaciers for the first time in human history, new research has discovered. Age-Old Origins of Sierra Range Glaciers The mountain range’s glaciers are older than previously known, dating back many thousands of years, with a few as ancient as the most recent glacial period, according to a report published last week. “Our reconstructed glacial history shows that a coming glacier-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in the history of humankind since documented settlement of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the study states. Global Risk to Ice Formations Ice masses around the world are under threat during the climate emergency. A study published in the month of May of the current year found that almost forty percent of ice sheets are doomed to melt because of global heating. If this warming rises by 2.7C, which the world is presently on course for, as up to seventy-five percent will disappear, leading to sea level rise and large-scale relocation. Throughout the American west, ice formations have diminished significantly since they were initially recorded in the late 19th century, according to the report. Focus on Major Ice Bodies The new research centers on four Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are among the largest and probably most ancient in the range. Their longevity during global heating makes them “indicators” for studying ice loss in the western region, the article states. Study Techniques and Results Scientists examined recently exposed bedrock around the ice formations and took samples to ascertain how long the region was covered by ice. They found that the ice masses have covered large areas of the mountain system for far longer than previously known – since prior to people occupied North America. California’s glaciers attained their maximum positions as long ago as thirty thousand years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and one of the glaciers researchers looked at is believed to have expanded seven thousand years ago, sooner than once thought. The disappearance of ice formations, for the initial time in human history, demonstrates the profound effects of the climate crisis, one author of the study said. Ecological and Symbolic Consequences “We’ll be the first to witness the ice-free peaks,” said Andrew Jones, the study’s lead author. “This has ecological implications for plants and animals. And it’s a representational decline. Climate change is very abstract, but these glaciers are concrete. They’re symbolic elements of the American West.”