A tech-forward initiative is offering a new way for visitors and residents of Alberta’s iconic Rockies to help monitor the impact of shifting weather patterns on the province’s majestic glaciers.
Parks Canada and others are partnering with researchers at the University of Waterloo on the project.
Dubbed the “Icy Initiative,” the community science program is launching initially in two national parks and three provincial parks.
This includes Jasper National Park, which spans more than 11,000 square kilometres of wild, rugged terrain.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984, the storied national park functions as a major dark sky preserve as well as a home to significant glacial features such as the 300-square-kilometre Columbia Icefield, the largest ice field in the Canadian Rockies.
Cellphone-friendly “Icy stands” have been strategically installed at select glacier viewpoints within Jasper. At these stations, visitors place their phone in a provided holder, capture a photo of a glacier, and submit it online.
Submitted photos are then analyzed by researchers at the University of Waterloo to track glacial changes over time.
“Our government and Parks Canada are proud to invite Canadians to connect with the beauty and power of the iconic glaciers we are so fortunate to have in Canada,” stated Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture. “Through the Icy Initiative, visitors become part of the story, helping us understand and protect these precious natural wonders.”
Canada is home to one-fifth of the world’s glacial volume.
“Glaciers are vital to our ecosystems and fresh water supply, and by capturing change over time, we can help find ways to protect them for the future,” commented Andy Day, Chief Executive Officer of the BC Parks Foundation.
The Icy initiative builds on the success of the “Coastie program,” launched in 2021, where visitor-submitted photos help monitor coastal changes in Atlantic Canada.
It is powered by the GeoReach Education Platform, a Canadian-based program that empowers community scientists to contribute valuable data.
“The Icy Initiative is community research in action,” remarked Tamara Davidson of BC Parks. “When the public engages with science, it deepens our understanding of these rapidly changing landscapes–which has never been more important.”
Dr. Chris Houser, Dean of Waterloo’s Faculty of Science; Professor, Earth and Environmental Sciences, believes that the Icy Initiative represents a “unique partnership” that “will support a need for glacier data collection and analysis to better inform park managers.”
“The program provides exceptional educational opportunities for people from around the world to discover Canada’s glacial landscapes, the changes taking place, and how this may relate to their own communities,” he said.
Leave a Reply