70 Percent of Glacier Ice May Disappear by the End of the 21st Century

It turns out that a total of 70 percent of glacier ice in British Columbia and Alberta could disappear by the end of the 21^st century. Scientists have taken a closer look at the rate of melting glaciers and have discovered that they could be rapidly retreating, which could spell disaster for local ecosystems and water quality.

"Most of our ice holdouts at the end of the century will be in the northwest corner of the province," said Garry Clarke, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Soon our mountains could look like those in Colorado or California and you don't see much ice in those landscapes."

In order to learn a bit more about these melting glaciers, the researchers used observational data, computer models and climate simulations to forecast the fate of individual glaciers. With over 17,000 glaciers in B.C. and Alberta, these regions are reliant on these formations. Glaciers play an important role in energy production through hydroelectric power and contribute to the water supply and are essential to mining and agriculture.

"These glaciers act as a thermostat for freshwater ecosystems," said Clarke. "Once the glaciers are gone, the streams will be a lot warmer and this will hugely change fresh water habitat. We could see some unpleasant surprises in terms of salmon productivity."

In fact, the researchers found that  while the impact of climate change on glacier health may not be evident at first sight, the glaciers are thinning at a rate of about one meter per year.

"Most glaciers are only 100 to 200 meters thick," said Clarke. "They're losing volume but this loss we're seeing right now is a bit hidden."

The findings are published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

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