One of the defining characteristics of Western Canada’s geography is the subject of a new research network based at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). The five-year study announced today will help increase understanding of how glaciers will react to future climate change.  

Glaciers cover 100,000 square kilometres in BC – 10% of the province’s land mass. They serve as frozen reservoirs of water that nourish lakes and rivers during the late summer and fall when runoff from seasonal snow cover is depleted. Glaciers are also important to people living in western Canada since approximately 90% of BC’s electricity is generated from melting snow and ice. Glaciers attract thousands of visitors to BC and Alberta mountain parks every year.

“The University of Northern British Columbia is the ideal institution to study how glaciers will continue to shape Canada’s environment and economy in the future,” said the Hon. Jay Hill, Member of Parliament for Prince George-Peace River.  "I am proud of the important research undertaken by UNBC with the support of the Federal Government."

“There is an urgent need for this research,” says Brian Menounos, a faculty member at UNBC. “Over the last 150 years, western Canada has warmed more than anywhere else in the globe outside of the very high latitudes.” Dr. Menounos is leading the Western Canadian Cryospheric Network (WC2N), a new research network that is receiving $2.1 million in funding from the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences (CFCAS). Other participating institutions include the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Victoria, University of Washington, federal and provincial governments, BC Hydro, Natural Resources Canada, and the Columbia Basin Trust.

By working together over the next five years, WC2N aims to understand the links between climate variability and glacier fluctuations in British Columbia and western Alberta. Research will be conducted on glaciers in the Coast, Columbia, Selkirk, Cariboo, and Rocky Mountain ranges to detail how glacier extent has changed over the past 400 years. This information will be used to better understand climate variability and how glaciers will respond to projected climate change over the next 50 to 150 years.

Caption for photo: Member of Parliament Jay Hill (left) joins CFCAS Executive Director Dawn Conway and researcher Brian Menounos at the announcement of the Western Canadian Cryospheric Research Network.

Contact:
Brian Menounos, Geography professor, UNBC - 250.960.6266
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC - 250.960.5622