Climate Change and Its Effects on White Water Rafting
Climate Change and its effects of White water rafting
Parker Blackstock
ADVG 101
T00038741
Nov 24/2012
Angela Bueckert
With the rising effects of Global warming taking its toll on glaciers and agriculture in British Columbia, surprisingly the white water rafting industry has managed to grow significantly in the last 20 years. As the global temperature continues to rise, it is predicted that the Glaciers will be reduced to nothing, thus taking its effect on water flow. British Columbia has seen it’s average temperature rise twice as fast as the global average. For rafting companies, this means shorter paddling season and flooding. “Average annual temperatures have warmed by between 0.5-1.7 degrees Celsius in different regions of the province during the 20th century. In fact, parts of British Columbia have been warming at a rate more than twice the global average. Live smart B.C. Effects of climate change 2011.” Evidence shows our climate has changed in the past century and will continue to change, affecting both biological and physical systems. In the past 50-100 years British Columbia has noticed an annual precipitation increase of about 20 percent, and lost around 50 percent of its snow pack annually. Also with the increased precipitation and faster melt the province has been more susceptible to floods in the Fraser Valley, Interior and throughout British Columbia. These floods and early melt are expecting to increase sea level 30 cm on the north coast and 50 cm in the Yukon by 2050. There has also been an outbreak of mountain pine beetle due to warmer winters. The mountain pine beetle has infected an area of pine forest four times the size of Vancouver Island. The pine beetle epidemic has infested around 13 million hectares of forests in British Columbia. It is predicted, by 2013, 80 percent of B.C.’s
pine forest will be “red and dead”. Forest fires are another real source of concern for the rafting Industry, 2003 and 2009 were devastating
Parker Blackstock
ADVG 101
T00038741
Nov 24/2012
Angela Bueckert
With the rising effects of Global warming taking its toll on glaciers and agriculture in British Columbia, surprisingly the white water rafting industry has managed to grow significantly in the last 20 years. As the global temperature continues to rise, it is predicted that the Glaciers will be reduced to nothing, thus taking its effect on water flow. British Columbia has seen it’s average temperature rise twice as fast as the global average. For rafting companies, this means shorter paddling season and flooding. “Average annual temperatures have warmed by between 0.5-1.7 degrees Celsius in different regions of the province during the 20th century. In fact, parts of British Columbia have been warming at a rate more than twice the global average. Live smart B.C. Effects of climate change 2011.” Evidence shows our climate has changed in the past century and will continue to change, affecting both biological and physical systems. In the past 50-100 years British Columbia has noticed an annual precipitation increase of about 20 percent, and lost around 50 percent of its snow pack annually. Also with the increased precipitation and faster melt the province has been more susceptible to floods in the Fraser Valley, Interior and throughout British Columbia. These floods and early melt are expecting to increase sea level 30 cm on the north coast and 50 cm in the Yukon by 2050. There has also been an outbreak of mountain pine beetle due to warmer winters. The mountain pine beetle has infected an area of pine forest four times the size of Vancouver Island. The pine beetle epidemic has infested around 13 million hectares of forests in British Columbia. It is predicted, by 2013, 80 percent of B.C.’s
pine forest will be “red and dead”. Forest fires are another real source of concern for the rafting Industry, 2003 and 2009 were devastating
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