🔗 Share this article

Deep in the state of Sierra Nevada, massive glaciers are vanishing and projected to dissolve completely by the beginning of the next century, resulting in summits without glaciers for the first time in human history, new research has discovered.

Ancient Beginnings of Sierra Nevada Ice Masses

The range's ice sheets are more ancient than earlier understood, tracing back many thousands of years, with a few as ancient as the most recent glacial period, according to an article released recently.

“Our pieced-together glacial history shows that a future ice-free Sierra Nevada is without precedent in human history since documented peopling of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the article states.

Global Risk to Glaciers

Glaciers around the world are at risk during the climate crisis. A study released in the month of May of this year found that nearly 40% of glaciers are doomed to melt because of global heating. If this warming increases by 2.7C, which the world is presently on track for, as up to seventy-five percent will vanish, causing sea level rise and mass displacement.

Across the Western United States, glaciers have shrunk significantly since they were initially recorded in the 1800s, according to the report.

Concentration on Key Ice Bodies

The new research focuses on several Sierra Nevada glaciers – the Conness, Maclure, Lyell and Palisade ice sheets – that are some of the biggest and probably oldest in the range. Their longevity during climate warming makes them “bellwethers” for studying ice loss in the western region, the study notes.

Research Methods and Results

Researchers looked at recently exposed base rock around the ice formations and took samples to determine how extensively the area was blanketed by ice. They found that the ice masses have covered large areas of the mountain system for much longer than earlier believed – since prior to people inhabited North America.

The state's glaciers attained their maximum positions as long ago as 30,000 years ago, the study's researchers stated, and a particular of the glaciers researchers looked at is believed to have grown 7,000 years ago, earlier than previously believed. The loss of ice formations, for the first time in recorded history, demonstrates the profound effects of the climate crisis, one author of the study said.

Environmental and Representational Consequences

“We’ll be the first to see the glacier-less summits,” said Andrew Jones, 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 ice masses are tangible. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”