British Columbia possesses around 16,000 glaciers, spanning an area of 20,000 square kilometers. A new 2022 study came to the shocking conclusion that these glaciers are already doomed to climate change-induced catastrophic loss. To the east, in British Columbia and Alberta, researchers reported recently that more than 1,100 glaciers vanished from 1985 to 2020. In particular, they highlight how the rate of glacier loss has been accelerating in recent years. Together, these discoveries point to a discouraging scenario. Climate change image via Shutterstock. Even if global warming were to cease immediately, forecasts suggest the southern half of the province could lose close to 75 percent of its alpine ice.
Climate scientists warn that with an increase of Earth’s average temperatures by 1.5 degrees Celsius, around 81 percent of glacier mass in Western Canada and the U.S. would melt away. If the world warms by 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2100, the danger to those Western Canadian glaciers is truly staggering. Yet the risk of glacier loss increases to a shocking 98 percent. The implications for water supply and hydropower generation are dire. In the annual riverflow, glaciers have a moderating effect that’s especially pronounced in the Columbia River Basin.
Accelerating Glacier Loss in British Columbia
The speed at which the glaciers in British Columbia have been disappearing has surprised many scientists. These last several decades, glacial melting has accelerated as precipitation has increasingly been falling as rain instead of snow in mountainous areas. That trend has led to what scientists now refer to as glaciers turning into “piles of Swiss cheese.”
The loss resulting from the great and growing speed of glacier melt is nothing short of monumental. Take the Wedgemount glacier as an example, it has retreated more than 700 meters since 1973. The glacier has lost more than 14 meters of elevation close to its terminus. In the interim, since 2006, meltwater has carved out a four-hectare-sized lake.
Brian Menounos, a prominent researcher in the field, stated, “At 2.7 C, there’s not going to be a lot of ice left in the Interior and Rocky Mountains. These are small glaciers. They’re not in good shape.” Stark examples like this illustrate the dire state and outlook of British Columbia’s glaciers.
Implications for Water Resources and Hydropower
Glaciers play a crucial role in British Columbia’s hydrology. They provide 10 to 20 percent of the annual river flow and sometimes up to half of the summer flow in the Columbia River Basin. They act as climate lifelines, delivering important meltwater flows that fill up BC Hydro reservoirs. In the last half century, meltwater from our disappearing glaciers has become ever more precious. Today it makes up around three percent of the water used to generate hydroelectricity in the province.
Therefore, the potential loss of glacier mass represents a substantial threat to the security of these water resources. As Brian Menounos explains, it doesn’t make economic sense to do this for EVERY road in the province. He argues that it can be done — at least for the most endangered systems. It will take targeted efforts to safeguard our most vital water supplies. Going forward, we will need to prioritize areas hit hardest by glacier loss.
Preparing for a Changing Landscape
As the impacts of realized climate change become more apparent, scientists are urging that we cannot stop climate change, and that society must reform to accommodate new realities. Brian Menounos asserts, “Those are the sorts of things society needs to start thinking about. We have to start preparing and adapting.” Researchers are ever more in consensus that we should act preemptively. This response is absolutely necessary to meet the severe challenges that rapid glacier loss will soon present.
Even in the face of these grim predictions, there is cause for optimism. Lilian Schuster, another researcher involved in the study, noted, “There’s still a small hope: Under very ambitious climate mitigation efforts, some glacier ice could still be saved.” This statement underscores the importance of implementing aggressive climate policies aimed at reducing global temperatures and protecting remaining glacial resources.
