Ice Sheet Melt Is Set to Ice-Free Peaks in California for First Time in Recorded History

Far in the state of Sierra Nevada, massive ice formations are disappearing and projected to dissolve completely by the start of the next century, leaving ice-free peaks for the first time in recorded human existence, recent studies has discovered.

Ancient Origins 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 old as the most recent glacial period, according to an article published last week.

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

Worldwide Threat to Glaciers

Ice masses globally are at risk during the climate crisis. 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 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the planet is presently on course for, as many as 75% will disappear, leading to ocean level increase and mass displacement.

Across the American west, ice formations have shrunk significantly since they were initially recorded in the 1800s, according to the article.

Concentration on Key Ice Bodies

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

Research Methods and Findings

Researchers examined newly uncovered bedrock around the ice formations and took samples to determine how extensively the area was blanketed by glacial ice. They determined that the ice masses have enveloped large areas of the range for far longer than earlier believed – since prior to people inhabited North America.

California’s glacial sheets attained their maximum positions as early as thirty thousand years ago, the study's researchers wrote, and one of the glaciers experts studied is thought to have grown seven thousand years ago, earlier than once thought. The loss of glaciers, for the initial time in human history, shows the profound effects of the climate change, a researcher of the investigation 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 ecological ramifications for plants and animals. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is highly intangible, but these ice masses are concrete. They’re symbolic elements of the Western U.S..”