Ice Sheet Thawing Is Set to Ice-Free Peaks in California for First Time in Human History

Far in California’s Sierra Nevada, enormous glaciers are disappearing and projected to melt away completely by the beginning of the next century, leaving summits without glaciers for the first time in human history, new research has discovered.

Ancient Origins of Sierra Range Ice Masses

The range's glaciers are older than previously known, tracing back many thousands of years, with a few as ancient as the last ice age, according to an article released recently.

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

Worldwide Risk to Ice Formations

Ice masses around the world are at risk during the climate emergency. A study published in May of the current year found that nearly 40% of glaciers are doomed to melt because of climate warming. If this warming increases by 2.7C, which the planet is currently on track for, as up to seventy-five percent will disappear, causing sea level rise and large-scale relocation.

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

Concentration on Major Glaciers

The new research centers on four Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade glaciers – that are among the largest and likely most ancient in the mountain chain. Their longevity amid global heating makes them “indicators” for studying ice loss in the western region, the study states.

Study Techniques and Results

Scientists looked at newly uncovered base rock around the glaciers and collected specimens to determine how extensively the region was blanketed by glacial ice. They found that the glaciers have covered large areas of the mountain system for much longer than previously known – since prior to people occupied North America.

California’s glaciers reached their maximum positions as early as thirty thousand years ago, the study's researchers stated, and a particular of the glaciers experts looked at is thought to have expanded seven thousand years ago, earlier than previously believed. The loss of ice formations, for the first time in human history, shows the dramatic impacts of the climate change, one author of the investigation said.

Ecological and Symbolic Consequences

“We’ll be the first to see the glacier-less summits,” said the study's lead researcher, the study’s lead author. “This has environmental implications for flora and fauna. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is highly intangible, but these glaciers are tangible. They’re symbolic elements of the American West.”