Glacier Thawing Will Lead to Glacier-Less Peaks in California for First Time in Human History

Far in California’s Sierra mountain range, massive glaciers are vanishing and expected to dissolve completely by the start of the coming hundred years, resulting in summits without glaciers for the first time in recorded human existence, new research has discovered.

Ancient Beginnings of Sierra Range Glaciers

The mountain range’s glaciers are more ancient than earlier understood, tracing back many thousands of years, with a few as old as the last ice age, according to a report published recently.

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

Worldwide Threat to Glaciers

Glaciers globally are at risk amid the climate emergency. A study published in the month of May of this year found that nearly 40% of ice sheets are doomed to thaw because of global heating. If such heating increases by 2.7C, which the planet is presently on course for, as up to 75% will vanish, causing sea level rise and mass displacement.

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

Focus on Major Ice Bodies

The recent study focuses on several Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are among the largest and likely oldest in the range. Their longevity during climate warming makes them “indicators” for studying glacier disappearance in the west, the study states.

Study Techniques and Findings

Researchers examined recently exposed base rock around the ice formations and collected specimens to ascertain how long the area was blanketed by ice. They found that the glaciers have covered large areas of the mountain system for far longer than previously known – since prior to humans occupied North America.

The state's glacial sheets reached their peak extents as long ago as 30,000 years ago, the article’s authors wrote, and a particular of the ice bodies experts studied is thought to have expanded 7,000 years ago, earlier than once thought. The loss of ice formations, for the initial time in human history, demonstrates the profound effects of the climate crisis, a researcher of the study said.

Environmental and Symbolic Consequences

“We’ll be the first to see the glacier-less summits,” said the study's lead researcher, the principal investigator. “This has ecological implications for plants and animals. And it’s a symbolic loss. Global warming is very abstract, but these ice masses are concrete. They’re iconic features of the Western U.S..”