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Deep in the state of Sierra Nevada, enormous glaciers are disappearing and expected to melt away completely by the beginning of the next century, resulting in summits without glaciers for the first time in recorded human existence, recent studies has discovered.

Age-Old Beginnings of Sierra Range Ice Masses

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

“Our pieced-together ice age record shows that a future glacier-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in the history of humankind since known settlement of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the article states.

Global Risk to Glaciers

Ice masses around the world are under threat amid the climate crisis. A research published in May of the current year found that almost forty percent of glaciers are destined to melt because of global heating. If this warming rises by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the planet is presently on track for, as up to seventy-five percent will disappear, leading to ocean level increase and mass displacement.

Throughout the Western United States, ice formations have diminished substantially since they were initially recorded 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 glaciers – that are some of the largest and probably most ancient in the range. Their durability during climate warming makes them “indicators” for examining glacier disappearance in the west, the study states.

Study Techniques and Findings

Scientists looked at recently exposed bedrock around the ice formations and collected specimens to ascertain how extensively the region was blanketed by glacial ice. They found that the ice masses have enveloped swaths of the range for much longer than previously known – since before people occupied North America.

California’s glacial sheets reached their peak extents as early as thirty thousand years ago, the article’s authors wrote, and a particular of the ice bodies researchers studied is believed to have expanded 7,000 years ago, earlier than once thought. The loss of glaciers, for the initial time in recorded history, demonstrates the dramatic effects of the climate crisis, one author of the investigation said.

Ecological and Representational Impact

“We’ll be the first to see the ice-free peaks,” said the study's lead researcher, the principal investigator. “This has environmental ramifications for flora and fauna. And it’s a symbolic loss. Global warming is highly intangible, but these ice masses are concrete. They’re symbolic elements of the Western U.S..”