The icefields and mountain glaciers of Alberta are situated on the continental divide and the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Alberta’s glaciers are concentrated here for two primary reasons:
Approximately 37 peaks rise above 3,400 m along the spine of the Rockies, making this the highest obstacle that Pacific air masses encounter as they traverse southwestern Canada. Orographic uplift on the western slopes cools the air and induces precipitation. The resultant air masses are largely wrung out as they carry on eastward over the Canadian prairies.
The precipitation gradient in the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains is dramatic. Annual precipitation at the continental divide on Haig Glacier averaged 1,900mm between 2002-2009, for example (unpublished data), as compared with 430mm over this period in Calgary (Environment Canada, 2010) which lies 100 km to the east. Most of this falls as snow in the mountains, creating the numerous glaciers and icefields which are one of the hallmarks of the Canadian Rockies.
The linked Alberta Glacier Inventory and Ice Volume Estimate report (2010) restricts its attention to runoff associated with glacier retreat: tapping of the water that is stored as ice in the glaciers of the Rocky Mountains. Runoff from the seasonal snowpack on glaciers is presumably ‘renewable’ – it will continue to feed the rivers even if the glaciers disappear from the landscape. However, with the loss of glacier ice, this snowpack contribution may also decline, as glaciers act as snow traps that encourage snow accumulation. The cold environment on glaciers also preserves much of this snow until later in the summer melt season, while routing through the glacier can introduce delays of weeks to months in delivering meltwater to the rivers, particularly in the early summer. Glacier retreat is therefore expected to result in earlier melting and runoff of seasonal snow from sites that are presently glaciated.
The locations of the glaciers referred to in the report include:
These glaciers feed the Kananaskis (Bow River), Kicking Horse (Columbia River), Mistaya (North Saskatchewan River), Athabasca, and Kwadacha (Peace River).
The contribution of glacier runoff to distal streamflow is often exaggerated. Glaciers offer a vivid element of the landscape and their contributions to surface runoff can indeed dominate in heavily-glacierized catchments, but a distinction needs to be made between the runoff from glacial ice and that derived from the seasonal snowpack.
For a glacier in equilibrium, there is no annual gain or loss of ice; the main effect of glacial cover is to create a more diffuse and extended season for meltwater runoff. That said, sustained glacier retreat does mean that long-term water storage is being tapped to augment the runoff derived from rainfall and seasonal snow. This means that current and future runoff is likely to be less than mean historical runoff.
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Ross has extensive executive experience in Operations, Governance, Information Technology and Strategy at the board and senior management level including Mancal Corporation, Mancal Energy, Highridge Exploration and Atlantis Resources. He has worked in Oil and Gas, Coal, Commercial Real Estate, Portfolio Management, Recreation, Retail and Water and Wastewater Treatment. His experience is also geographically diverse having overseen operations in Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Additionally, he has been on the board of companies with operations in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Kazakhstan, and Russia. He has served on numerous Public, Private and Not for Profit Boards across a number of industries.
Ross has been active on several industry Boards and committees including the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and The Schulich School of Engineering Industry Advisory Council at the Schulich School of Engineering.
Brian is a seasoned Cleantech entrepreneur with a proven history of successfully bringing complex water technologies to the market. With over 25 years of experience, he has led various organizations to achieve significant milestones in the industry.
Having started as the founding CEO of the Pressure Pipe Inspection Company (PPIC) and later taking the helm at the Water Technology Acceleration Project (WaterTAP), Brian’s entrepreneurial spirit has been instrumental in driving innovation and growth within the sector.
He is an active investor in the cleantech sector and has served on many boards including the Ontario Clean Water Agency.
Actively engaged in industry associations like AWWA, WEF, IWA, and ASCE, Brian enjoys collaborating with fellow professionals to promote advancements in the field.
Brian holds an undergraduate degree and a PhD in Physics from Queen’s University, which has provided him with a solid technical foundation. As a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, he brings valuable insights to corporate governance.