A meteorological network to monitor glacier change in western Canada

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Mountain glaciers and ice caps are important elements of the Earth's hydrological cycle and are one of the key indicators of recent climate change. On a global scale, the mass loss from glaciers contributes to ongoing sea level rise. On a regional and local scale, glacier melt-water is an important contributor to river flow during the dry and warm parts of a year. In western Canada, maintenance of low flows by glacier runoff is essential to sustain aquatic ecosystems and hydropower generation. To model recent and future mass changes of glaciers it is essential to understand the processes at the glacier-atmosphere interface. However, these processes are observed on just a few glaciers in this region and worldwide. We propose a network of four weather stations, measuring all components of the energy balance, at glaciers in different climatic regimes within western Canada. The network will provide critically-needed data in an otherwise sparsely instrumented domain. Furthermore, the meteorological network will greatly advance our knowledge of the role of climate variability and change on the region's water cycle. Evaluating the past, current and possible future contribution of glaciers to the regional hydrological cycle, are very important for water resources management and commercial activities in BC and elsewhere in Canada. This project will improve understanding of processes at the glacier-atmosphere interface by investigating full energy coupling at glacier surface, and help to improve modelling of glacier mass changes on regional scale.