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Deep in the state of Sierra mountain range, enormous glaciers are disappearing and projected to dissolve entirely by the beginning of the next century, resulting in summits without glaciers for the initial occasion in recorded human existence, new research has found.

Age-Old Origins of Sierra Range Ice Masses

The range's glaciers are more ancient than earlier understood, dating back many thousands of years, with some as ancient as the most recent glacial period, according to an article published recently.

“Our reconstructed ice age record indicates that a coming ice-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in human history since documented peopling of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the article states.

Global Risk to Glaciers

Glaciers globally are at risk during the climate crisis. A study published in the month of May of the current year determined that nearly 40% of glaciers are doomed to thaw because of climate warming. If such heating increases by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the planet is presently on track for, as many as seventy-five percent will disappear, causing sea level rise and mass displacement.

Throughout the American west, glaciers have shrunk significantly since they were initially recorded in the 1800s, according to the report.

Concentration on Major Ice Bodies

The new research focuses on four Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are some of the largest and probably oldest in the mountain chain. Their longevity during global heating makes them “bellwethers” for examining glacier disappearance in the western region, the article states.

Study Techniques and Findings

Scientists examined newly uncovered base rock around the glaciers and collected specimens to ascertain how extensively the region was blanketed by ice. They determined that the ice masses have enveloped swaths of the range for much longer than earlier believed – since before people occupied North America.

California’s glacial sheets reached their maximum positions as early as 30,000 years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and one of the glaciers experts studied is believed to have expanded seven thousand years ago, earlier than once thought. The loss of glaciers, for the initial time in recorded history, demonstrates the profound impacts of the climate crisis, a researcher of the study said.

Environmental and Representational Consequences

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