Ice Sheet Melt Is Set to Ice-Free Peaks in the Golden State for First Time in Recorded History
Far in California’s Sierra Nevada, enormous ice formations are disappearing and projected to dissolve completely by the beginning of the next century, leaving ice-free peaks for the first time in human history, new research has discovered.
Ancient Beginnings of Sierra Nevada Glaciers
The mountain range’s glaciers are more ancient than previously known, dating back tens of thousands of years, with some as ancient as the last ice age, according to an article 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 known peopling of the Americas ~20,000 years ago,” the article states.
Global Risk to Ice Formations
Glaciers around the world are under threat amid the climate emergency. A research published in May of this year found that almost forty percent of ice sheets are destined to melt because of climate warming. If this warming increases by 2.7C, which the world is currently on track for, as many as 75% will vanish, causing ocean level increase and mass displacement.
Throughout the American west, glaciers have shrunk significantly since they were initially recorded in the 1800s, according to the article.
Focus on Key Glaciers
The recent study centers on several Sierra Nevada glacial masses – the Palisade, Lyell, Maclure and Conness glaciers – that are some of the largest and likely most ancient in the mountain chain. Their durability amid global heating makes them “bellwethers” for examining glacier disappearance in the western region, the study notes.
Study Techniques and Results
Researchers examined newly uncovered base rock around the ice formations and took samples to ascertain how long the region was blanketed by ice. They determined that the ice masses have enveloped large areas of the mountain system for far longer than earlier believed – since before people occupied North America.
California’s glacial sheets reached their maximum positions as long ago as thirty thousand years ago, the article’s authors wrote, and a particular of the glaciers researchers looked at is thought to have expanded 7,000 years ago, sooner than once thought. The disappearance of ice formations, for the initial time in recorded history, demonstrates the profound impacts of the climate change, one author of the study said.
Ecological and Representational Consequences
“We’ll be the first to witness the ice-free peaks,” said Andrew Jones, the principal investigator. “This has environmental ramifications for flora and fauna. And it’s a symbolic loss. Climate change is highly intangible, but these ice masses are concrete. They’re iconic features of the American West.”
