A first of its kind study from the University of British Columbia has found that melting glaciers will bring water shortages to one in four people living in Alberta. "So that's when I became very concerned and interested in figuring out how water supply in communities will change as we lose these glaciers." Some glacier loss — called runoff — is natural each summer, but the warming climate has caused summer runoff to outpace the accumulation or replenishing of the glacial ice each winter. The study did not look at when communities might feel the impact of glacier loss. Some communities located near glaciers, like Jasper and Banff, will likely be shielded from water loss from retreating glaciers, as they source their water from deep underground aquifers.

Source: CBC News August 10, 2020 11:26 UTC