Manitoba Wildlands  
Melting BC Glaciers Will Affect Sea Levels 24 May 14

glacier
"Most glaciers in Alaska and British Columbia are shrinking substantially," said the U.S. National Climate Assessment released last week. "This trend is expected to continue and has implications for hydropower production, ocean circulation patterns, fisheries, and global sea level rise." There could be potential flooding in wet seasons and drought in dry, a particular problem in B.C., which relies on hydroelectricity to meet its energy needs.

According to the National Climate Assessment report, glaciers in the region are losing 20 to 30 per cent of what is melting annually from the Greenland Ice Sheet, which has received far more worldwide attention. The glacial decline in western Canada and Alaska significantly contributes to sea level rise, said the U.S. report. There are 200,000 glaciers on Earth, 17,000 of them in British Columbia. Another 800 are in Alberta.

View May 18, 2014 Huffington Post article
View May 18, 2014 CBC News article
View May 18, 2014 National Post article
View March 14, 2013 The Star article
View November 2005 Nature article
View University of Northern British Columbia Newsroom

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