BC GLACIERS ON A SLIPPERY SLOPE
Written by Ben Pelto, Glaciologist and POW Canada Science Alliance Member
A Personal Perspective
I have been working on glaciers since 2005—this year marks my 21st year studying them. It has been a rewarding but difficult time to be a glaciologist. After completing my PhD on BC’s Columbia Mountains at UNBC, I pursued a postdoc at UBC/BC Hydro, studying glacier change in the southern Coast Mountains. Today, as a hydrologist at Northwest Hydraulic Consultants in North Vancouver, I continue to work on glacier-related projects.
From large hydropower projects to flood risk assessments and water supply studies for remote First Nations, my work consistently reinforces one fact: glaciers are essential to BC’s hydrology. Modeling future glacier retreat is now a key part of my job, as we prepare for changes in water supply and flood risk and plan future infrastructure to meet these challenges.
On a personal level, I am deeply concerned about the future. My daughter was born last year, and I wonder if she will get to experience BC’s glaciers as I have. The glaciers in the Sea-to-Sky Corridor, where I ski and work, may not be there for her to see.
Glacier Facts: The Rapid Decline
- There are approximately 17,000 glaciers in BC, but their numbers and size are shrinking at an alarming rate.
- The rate of glacier melt has accelerated in recent years, creating a worsening downward spiral.
- Historically, good snow winters could lead to mass gain for glaciers. However, over the past two decades, years where glaciers have grown are nearly absent. When growth does occur, it is minimal—akin to saving $100 in a single year while losing thousands annually. The balance is simply not in favor of glacier survival.
- Why is this happening? Primarily due to a lengthening and intensifying melt season. Traditionally, glacier melt occurred from May (peak snowpack) to early or late September. Now, spring arrives roughly two weeks earlier, and the accumulation season in autumn begins about two weeks later. This has extended the melt season from five months to six months, with hotter summer temperatures exacerbating the problem.
- In Metro Vancouver, air conditioning was once relatively rare. Today, it is rapidly becoming a necessity, with homes like my south-facing North Vancouver apartment regularly exceeding 40°C on hot summer days. This increased heat takes a vicious toll on glaciers.
- Once glaciers experience multiple bad years in succession, they can enter an accelerating death spiral. As seasonal snow melts, it exposes glacier ice, which is far less reflective, absorbing more solar energy and accelerating melt. To remain in balance in BC, glaciers need to retain 55-60% snow cover by the end of the melt season. Historically, they ranged from 40-60%. In the past, much of this retained snow became firn—multi-year snow that transitions into ice.
- In 2014, while studying the Conrad Glacier near Bugaboo Provincial Park, I mapped firn cover at over 40%. In just ten years, this area has nearly disappeared. Without firn, glaciers lose their ability to create new ice and store meltwater, while also reflecting less solar radiation—spelling disaster for BC’s glaciers.
- The Klinaklini Glacier, BC’s largest glacier, and the Ha-Iltzuk Icefield it is a part of in the Central Coast Mountains, lost an average 4.4 meters of ice thickness in 2023. That is 40% of the total loss recorded between 2000-2019, all in a single year.
- The 2023 ice loss from this icefield alone equates to 3.21 gigatons of water—equivalent to an eight-month supply of domestic water use for every Canadian.
Why This Matters: Water, Ecosystems, and Communities
- BC’s water supply is heavily dependent on mountain snow and glaciers. Metro Vancouver, for example, relies entirely on mountain-fed watersheds (Capilano, Seymour, and Coquitlam).
- Glaciers and snow act as natural reservoirs, releasing water when it is most needed—during hot, dry summers. As they shrink, water supply becomes more vulnerable to droughts and extreme weather.
- A community drinking water supply study I worked on highlighted this vulnerability: in 2010, after a snowy winter, glacier melt contributed only 4% of summer streamflow. In 2014, a hot summer, that number jumped to 37%. That glacier will likely disappear within the next 10-20 years, putting future water supply at risk.
- Glacial and snowmelt are also crucial for fish, particularly salmon, which rely on cold water. A warmer climate with drier streams and reduced meltwater will make many rivers unsuitable for key fish species. However, glacier retreat could improve habitat in some BC rivers currently too full of glacier sediment to support fish.
Saving BC’s Glaciers: The Time is Now
The International Year of Glaciers' Preservation is a critical moment to raise awareness about what is happening to BC’s glaciers. We must:
- Reduce carbon pollution to slow warming and mitigate further glacier loss.
- Support policies that protect water resources and prepare communities for changes in hydrology.
- Advance glacier monitoring and research to better understand and respond to ongoing changes.
- Educate and engage the public, ensuring that glacier preservation remains a priority.
I have skied and worked on over 100 glaciers, from BC’s Coast, Columbia, and Rocky Mountains to the North Cascades, Mount Denali, and even Mount Kilimanjaro. I have seen firsthand the rapid retreat of ice across the globe. It is time to act—before these glaciers become memories instead of landscapes.
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