'They are going to disappear': Western Canada glaciers face bleak future

The authors of the study cited numerous factors for the mass loss, including low winter snow accumulation, early-season heat waves, and prolonged periods of warm, dry conditions.

Glaciers are ‘essential’ to mountain landscape, tourism

In the four-year period, the glaciers in Canada’s West and the conterminous U.S. lost approximately 22.2 gigatonnes of ice per year, while Switzerland glaciers dropped 1.5 gigatonnes yearly.

“Glaciers are essential parts of the mountain landscape, with strong cultural and tourism value. They provide cool, plentiful water to many headwater streams during late summer and years of drought,” the authors said in the study.

Athabasca Glacier, part of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park. (Getty Images/Yiming Chen/1604818084-170667a)

According to the UNBC, the amount of water melted from the glaciers would be sufficient enough to submerge the metropolitan area of Toronto under 35 metres of water each year.

“Even against the backdrop of rapid glacier loss since the start of this century, what we’re witnessing now is unprecedented,” said Menounos, in a UNBC news release. “The melt rates over the [past] four years far exceed anything we’ve observed in the past six decades, posing serious implications for freshwater availability, increased geohazard risks, and the loss of cultural and tourism values tied to mountain landscapes.”