Shocking before-and-after photos of California's mountains make what's happening to the planet obvious

One place that makes this startlingly clear is California's Sierra Nevada mountain range, where the current snowpack is at the lowest it has been for 500 years, according to a study published online Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change.

The shrinking snow levels, linked to the state's devastating drought, will likely take a toll on the water supplies of farms and cities, reduce the amount of hydroelectric power available, and make wildfires more likely, according to the study's researchers.

Here are some photos that reveal the extent of the problem in stark but stunning beauty.