Glaciers serve as a savings account for freshwater, so glacial melt is disastrous

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After parking in the middle of a mishmash of duplex-sized rental cars, RVs, and RVs, I hoisted my backpack. I was heading to the Peyto Glacier Research Site, a rough four hour off-road hike in Banff National Park.

As one of the oldest glaciological sites in North America, Peyto Station is not only a key component of the Canadian network of studied glaciers and their associated freshwater resources, but also a cog in a global network. . The information gathered is shared with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as well as with industries such as mining, hydropower, irrigation, tourism, ecosystem services and with Alberta Environment and Parks to make decisions about water management and allocation.

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Draining north and feeding into the North Saskatchewan River, Peyto descends from the Wapta Icefield, as does its sister to the south, the Bow Glacier, which drains south. As the source of the Bow River, this glacier contributes to the freshwater supply of the most populous region of Alberta, passing through Banff and through Calgary to where it meets the Oldman River for form the South Saskatchewan River. Halfway through their homonymous province, the North and South Saskatchewan rivers merge to empty into Lake Winnipeg and ultimately flow into Hudson Bay via the Nelson River.

The water flowing from the Wapta Icefield supplies no less than three provinces.

Like glaciers around the world, Peyto and Bow are shrinking, not only in length, but also in breadth, depth and, therefore, in volume. As the ice surface decreases, the rate of melting increases. Glaciers serve as a savings account for fresh water; the Bow provides up to 30 percent of the Bow River’s flow during the dry late summer weeks. With some three million people living in the combined river basins of northern and southern Saskatchewan, melting glaciers are having consequences.

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In 1985, there were 1,155 glaciers in the mountain national parks of British Columbia and Alberta. In 2005, there were 1,006. This means that 149 glaciers have disappeared in just 20 years. Jasper National Park has lost 135 of its 554 glaciers; Banff National Park has lost 29 of its 365 and its total ice area has decreased by 20%. It’s one percent every year.

During these two decades, British Columbia lost 10% of its ice cover. According to estimates based on current conditions and trends, the mountains of western Canada will lose 70 percent of their glacial ice by 2100. The most significant effects of this melt will be felt in the Rocky and Interior Ranges. The coastal mountains of British Columbia are expected to experience a loss of 60 to 85% of glacial ice.

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With enough data since 1880, scientists have calculated that the global average temperature on Earth has been rising steadily since the 1980s; 18 of the 19 hottest years on record have occurred since 2001. As reported by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which conducted independent analyzes, the average Earth’s surface temperature in 2019 was the lowest second hottest since the start of modern recording. July 2019 was the hottest month on Earth on record (although not over yet, July 2021 could overtake it).

Each summer, as the sun warms, its heat penetrates the surface of the glaciers. Layer after layer of snow melts until the hard ice surface is exposed. The ice begins to melt, forming streams that flow over the glacier’s own skin to become outlet lakes and fill rivers. As the ice melts another layer is removed to expose the next layer down. The ice surface is less reflective than the snow cover that protected it, so it absorbs more penetrating rays from the sun. Cast iron is self-sustaining. Since glacial loss lags behind the increase in CO2, glaciers would continue to melt indefinitely even if all global CO2 emissions were stopped next week. These changes are occurring 50 to 70 years earlier than scientists predicted.

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I try to imagine what our mountain landscapes will look like when my niece is my age, in 40 years. I imagine a lot more rock, especially in summer. In winter, when we have snow – and this is no guarantee on a warming planet – it is not always easy to tell where the glaciers end and where the moraines begin if they are all covered with snow. ‘a thick white coat.

But when summer comes, the hard truth is revealed. A glacier in September is a desolate sight, bare of snow, exposed and withered and dilapidated after months of summer sun and nights and winters too hot for them to thrive. I imagine there was very little glacier ice left to see during those months, as those of us who live, play and work in these mountains today have learned to admire and celebrate these spots of blue. vibrant amidst all that dull gray and brown. I imagine you will feel like you are seeing the wildflowers dying out. So, of course, some wildflowers that thrive downstream from glaciers, watered by summer runoff, could do just that.

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But now is not the time to despair. It’s time to take action. These are exciting times.

There is so much work to be done and so much teamwork required to initiate the changes we need to make. It’s time for us to do what humans do well: improve, innovate, invent.

On July 12, Canada joined 120 countries in committing to net zero CO2 emissions by 2050, a commitment that is now enshrined in law as the Canadian Responsibility Act. net emissions, which received Royal Assent in June 2021.

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To those who say, “What can I do, I’m just one person? The answer is: stop being one person. Find a climate action group in your neighborhood, town, city. Join one online. Canada has all the brains and the expertise to be a leader in green technology and the heart to lead the green transition – and build a resilient and sustainable economy while we are there.

So get excited, get down to business. Greening our world is a great adventure!

Lynn Martel is the author of Stories of Ice: Adventure, Commerce and Creativity on Canada’s Glaciers, which examines the wonders of Canada’s glaciers and asks questions about their future. These passages are taken from the book (Rocky Mountain Books, 2020).

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