Soon there will be no glaciers left in the Greater Vancouver area, and in 20 to 30 years, or even sooner, they will all have melted.
The Coquitlam Glacier is one of them. Having survived 4,000 to 5,000 years thanks to its sheltered position on the eastern slope of the namesake watershed, the glacier is now thinning at a rate of 2.25 m per year.
According to hydrologist Peter Marshall, against all odds, that rate is even accelerating: “With the seasonal snowpack being above average, we thought maybe that would help to slow it down, but I think the long, dry and hot summers that we've had over the last five to seven years have really accelerated this change.”
Although the melting of glaciers in the Canadian Rockies contributes marginally to the rise of the world's oceans, it is not without consequences for the region: the fauna and flora of the hydrological system fed by seasonal snowmelt as well as many human activities (agriculture, tourism, etc.) will be affected by this disappearance.
More details in an online article from the CTV network »
