Galciers are melting like never seen before, changing landscapes around the world beyond recognition.

Scientists are beginning to understand the sudden loss of sea ice in Antarctica – and there is growing evidence that it represents a permanent shift with potentially catastrophic consequences.

New research shows the Sierra Nevada’s glaciers, which have endured since the last Ice Age, are shrinking rapidly and could disappear within decades. Scientists warn their loss will mark the first time in human history that Yosemite’s granite peaks stand without ice.