The Horstman Glacier is the site of a pilot project developing methods to preserve glaciers.
A blue wooden snow fence has been installed on the ridge above the glacier to trap snow.[2]
In 2015, four snowmaking machines ("snowguns") began adding more snow to the glacier during the winter.[3]
A 7.5-megawatt hydroelectric dam, installed in 2010, powers the ski resort and the snowmaking operations.[1]
Glacier retreat
The Horstman glacier has receded substantially, with conditions deteriorating.[2] In 2020 the Horstman T-bar, a ski lift at Whistler Blackcomb operating since 1987, was closed down as the glacier receded.[4]
The retreat of glaciers like the Horstman is mostly attributed to global warming[5] and local changes as a result of rising temperature also furthering the process.[6] Glacier recession is accelerating worldwide.[7][8]
↑Orlove, B. (2009). Glacier retreat: reviewing the limits of human adaptation to climate change. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 51(3), 22-34.
↑Gupta, T., Gupta, A., & Kulshreshtha, V. (2019). Study of Glacier Retreat and Climatic Condition in Greenland. Climate Change in Water Resources, 17.
↑Zemp, M., Frey, H., Gärtner-Roer, I., Nussbaumer, S. U., Hoelzle, M., Paul, F., ... & Vincent, C. (2015). Historically unprecedented global glacier decline in the early 21st century. Journal of glaciology, 61(228), 745-762.
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