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Far in California’s Sierra mountain range, enormous glaciers are disappearing and projected to dissolve entirely by the beginning of the next century, resulting in ice-free peaks for the first time in recorded human existence, recent studies has found.

Age-Old Origins of Sierra Nevada Ice Masses

The range's glaciers are more ancient than previously known, dating back tens of thousands of years, with some as old as the last ice age, according to a report published recently.

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

Global Threat to Glaciers

Glaciers around the world are under threat during the climate emergency. A research published in May of the current year determined that almost forty percent of ice sheets are destined to melt because of climate warming. If such heating rises by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the world is currently on course for, as up to 75% will disappear, causing sea level rise and large-scale relocation.

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

Focus on Key Glaciers

The recent study centers on several Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade ice sheets – that are among the biggest and likely oldest in the range. Their durability during global heating makes them “bellwethers” for studying glacier disappearance in the western region, the article states.

Research Methods and Findings

Researchers looked at recently exposed base rock around the glaciers and collected specimens to ascertain how extensively the area was blanketed by ice. They found that the glaciers have enveloped swaths of the range for far longer than earlier believed – since prior to people inhabited North America.

The state's glacial sheets attained their maximum positions as early as 30,000 years ago, the article’s authors stated, and one of the ice bodies researchers studied is believed to have expanded 7,000 years ago, earlier than previously believed. The disappearance of glaciers, for the first time in human history, shows the profound impacts of the climate crisis, one author of the study 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. Global warming is highly intangible, but these glaciers are tangible. They’re symbolic elements of the Western U.S..”