🔗 Share this article Glacier Thawing Is Set to Glacier-Less Peaks in the Golden State for First Instance in Recorded History Deep in California’s Sierra mountain range, enormous glaciers are vanishing and projected to dissolve entirely by the beginning of the coming hundred years, leaving ice-free peaks for the initial occasion in human history, new research has discovered. Age-Old Beginnings of Sierra Nevada Ice Masses The range's glaciers are older than earlier understood, dating back tens of thousands of years, with a few as ancient as the last ice age, according to a report released recently. “Our pieced-together glacial history indicates that a future ice-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in the history of humankind since known settlement of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the study states. Global Risk to Glaciers Ice masses around the world are at risk during the climate emergency. A study released in May of the current year found that almost forty percent of ice sheets are destined to thaw because of global heating. If such heating increases by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the planet is currently on track for, as up to 75% will disappear, leading to ocean level increase and large-scale relocation. Throughout the Western United States, glaciers have diminished substantially since they were first documented in the late 19th century, according to the report. Concentration on Key Glaciers The new research focuses on several Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade glaciers – that are among the largest and probably most ancient in the range. Their durability during global heating makes them “bellwethers” for studying ice loss in the western region, the article notes. Research Methods and Results Researchers looked at newly uncovered base rock around the ice formations and collected specimens to determine how extensively the region was blanketed by ice. They determined that the ice masses have enveloped large areas of the range for much longer than earlier believed – since before humans occupied North America. The state's glaciers reached their maximum positions as early as 30,000 years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and one of the glaciers experts studied is thought to have grown seven thousand years ago, sooner than once thought. The disappearance of glaciers, for the first time in recorded history, shows the profound impacts of the climate change, a researcher of the investigation said. Ecological and Representational Consequences “We’ll be the initial ones to see the ice-free peaks,” said the study's lead researcher, the principal investigator. “This has environmental implications for plants and animals. And it’s a symbolic loss. Global warming is very abstract, but these ice masses are tangible. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”