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Far in the state of Sierra Nevada, massive glaciers are vanishing and projected to melt away completely by the start of the coming hundred years, resulting in ice-free peaks for the initial occasion in human history, recent studies has discovered.

Ancient Origins of Sierra Nevada Glaciers

The range's ice sheets are older than previously known, tracing back tens of thousands of years, with some as ancient as the most recent glacial period, according to an article released last week.

“Our reconstructed glacial history indicates that a future ice-free Sierra Nevada is unprecedented in the history of humankind since known peopling of the Americas around twenty thousand years ago,” the article states.

Global Threat to Glaciers

Ice masses around the world are under threat amid the climate crisis. A research published in May of this year found that nearly 40% of ice sheets are doomed to melt because of global heating. If this warming rises by 2.7 degrees Celsius, which the world is presently on track for, as up to seventy-five percent will disappear, causing ocean level increase and large-scale relocation.

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

Concentration on Major Glaciers

The recent study centers on four Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness ice sheets – that are among the largest and likely most ancient in the range. Their longevity amid climate warming makes them “bellwethers” for examining glacier disappearance in the west, the article states.

Study Techniques and Findings

Scientists looked at newly uncovered bedrock around the ice formations and collected specimens to determine how long the region was covered by glacial ice. They found that the ice masses have enveloped swaths of the mountain system for much longer than previously known – since prior to people occupied North America.

The state's glacial sheets reached their peak extents as early as thirty thousand years ago, the article’s authors stated, and a particular of the ice bodies experts looked at is believed to have expanded seven thousand years ago, sooner than once thought. The disappearance of glaciers, for the initial time in recorded history, shows the profound effects of the climate crisis, one author of the study said.

Ecological and Symbolic Consequences

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