For the mountaineers who travel the glacial surface, the changes are dramatic. If the glaciers in the Columbia ice field disappear, so will a critical water supply for western Canada. Right now the Athabasca Glacier feeds several large prairie water systems. In a hot dry summer like the summer of 1998, the glacier is the only thing that keeps the rivers flowing. What it's telling us is incredible.
Climate changes dramatically.
Protect what you have. The research suggests the Athabasca Glacier is shrinking by 30 per cent every 100 years and could be gone in less than 300 years. Other glaciers in the area could disappear in less than 50 years and scientists warn the melt could speed up if the earth's temperatures continue to climb. Experts say they can't stop or even slow down the melt. They say they just want Canadians to be aware of the looming threat to an important part of Canada's water supply.