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Past impact

Analysis of historical data indicates that many properties of climate have changed during the 20th century, affecting marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems in British Columbia.

• Average annual temperature warmed by 0.6°C on the coast, 1.1°C in the Interior, and 1.7°C in Northern BC
• Lakes and rivers become fee of ice earlier in the Spring
• Sea surface temperature increased by 0.9°C to 1.8°C along the BC Coast
• Sea level rose by 4 to 12 centimertres along most of the BC Coast
• The Fraser River discharges more of its total annual flow earlier in the year
• Water in the Frase River is warmer in Summer
• More heat energy is available for plant and insect growth
• Two large glaciers retreated by more than a kilometer each

As you can see the the above picture of Wedgemount Glaicer near the resort town of Whistler, B.C., has shrunk hundreds of metres in just the past two decades.

In addition to the above indicators of Climate Change in BC, extreme weather such as drought, storm is known as impact of climate change.

For more information, see 'Indicators of Climate Change for British Columbia 2002' and 'Climate, Nature, People: Indicators of Canada's Canging Climate'.