Glacier Selfies Become Tool for Climate Research

Parks Canada is inviting visitors to try glacier selfies—or “Icys”—instead of traditional photos, turning everyday moments into valuable climate research data.

The new Icy project, launched with the University of Waterloo’s GeoReach education platform, encourages visitors in Glacier and Jasper national parks to share their glacier photos. These contributions will help scientists study how human-driven climate change is accelerating ice loss in Canada’s mountain parks.

Turning Tourism Into Science

Glacier National Park has long been a hub for ice studies. Researchers there monitor glacier health using repeat photography and mass balance measurements. With Icy, everyday visitors can add fresh perspectives to this research, making science more accessible and community-driven.

In Jasper, recent studies of the Athabasca Glacier highlight the urgency. More ice melted in 2023 alone than during the entire decade before, underscoring the scale of change.

Expanding Beyond National Parks

The Icy initiative is not limited to federal parks. BC Parks is joining with stands installed at Mount Robson, Garibaldi, and Bugaboo provincial parks. Sorcerer Lodge in Golden is also part of the project.

Visitors can snap photos at designated glacier-viewing sites using Icy stands. Each stand provides QR codes and instructions to submit images directly at georeach.ca. These submissions will be analyzed by Waterloo researchers and compiled into a publicly accessible dataset.

Global Significance in a Critical Year

The project’s launch coincides with the United Nations’ International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. Parks Canada president Ron Hallman called the initiative “an exciting opportunity to connect with glaciers and contribute to their protection.”

Earlier this year, the UN marked its first-ever World Glacier Day on March 21, further highlighting the urgency of global glacier conservation.

With Icy, Parks Canada hopes visitors will see glaciers not just as stunning landscapes but as fragile ecosystems whose survival depends on collective action.