Scientists, Homalco First Nation team collaborate to investigate the massive BC landslide – and its impact on salmon

When the side of a B.C. mountain receded on November 28, 2020, hit a glacial lake feeding it and caused a 100-meter-high tsunami, no one was there to see the destruction or hear the sounds of rocks and trees ripping through a valley below.

But scientists say the force, picked up by seismographs across North America, was equivalent to a 4.9-magnitude earthquake.

Fortunately, no one was in the way of a slip, but experts believe melting ice has made the slope less stable — and climate change means it poses an increased risk.

As more glaciers recede in Canada, scientists say there is great interest in knowing exactly what caused the slide, and how rocks and sediments have affected salmon populations near Elliott Creek and the Southgate River.

The landslide occurred in a remote area off the coast of British Columbia (Josh Silber/Hakai Institue)

The mountain is located about 220 km northwest of Vancouver, in the traditional area of ​​the Homalco First Nation.

It is a remote wilderness area, accessible only by air or by boat 80 km above Bute Inlet.

When the slide hit last year, more than 18 million cubic meters of rock slid down the slope and crashed into the lake within 30 seconds.

“This equates to all the cars in Canada going down the hill at once,” said Martin Gerchima, a geomorphologist who works with the British Columbia government studying landslides.

He is one of several scientists, along with members of the Homalco First Nation, who have been studying the landslide and its cascading environmental impact on watersheds and salmon habitats.

air show

The CBC crew flew with scientists and Homalco members on June 15 when they viewed the landslide from above and collected water samples on the ground.

On board was Brian Menounos, a professor of geography from the University of Northern British Columbia and Canada’s head of research in climate change.

As the helicopter flew over the glacier, loose rocks were seen falling down the slope.

Watch | Landslides can be caused by melting glaciers:

Brian Menounos, a professor of geography at the University of Northern British Columbia, explains why devastating landslides are a concern in mountainous BC 0:41

The scientists were looking for fractures in the mountain, as well as a flat, stable place where they could install surveillance equipment and cameras to track any further movement.

Menounos said they know how much material broke off because they completed the ice-mountain surface-elevation model before sliding. They surveyed the area again afterwards with the help of the Hakkai Institute, a British Columbia-based scientific research institution.

He said the slide was so devastating because it caused a flash flood that resulted in massive displacement of water from the glacial lake, which is located 1.5 kilometers below the mountain’s summit.

A glacier sits on top of a mountain as part of the slope receded on November 28, 2020. Scientists say the rock moved about 50 meters per second when it tore the slope. (Bryer Stewart/CBC News)

Because the glacier has receded, Menounos said, the lake has nearly doubled in size since the 1950s.

“In this case we were lucky,” Menounos said. “We avoided a bullet.”

“But you can imagine this kind of event happening in Whistler Pass or other places where a more dense group of people live.”

Damaged salmon homeون

While some research focuses on why and how the slide occurs, another part of the team has been studying the impact on the watershed.

Elliott Creek, which lies downstream from the glacial lake, is strewn with rocks and trees that the wave has stripped from the landscape.

According to Ian Gesbrecht, an ecosystem scientist at the Hakkai Institute, the creek moved 800 meters after the slide.

“Every time it moves, it changes the habitat there is for the fish and sends a pulse of sediment into the river,” Geisbrecht said.

Marten Geertsema, a geomorphologist with British Columbia’s Department of Forests, Lands, Natural Resources Operations and Rural Development, gets his first look at the landslide and glacier on June 15, 2021 (Briar Stewart/CBC News)

He, along with others from Hakkai, had been sampling water in the area before the slide, but then augmented the testing by taking water from additional sites.

During the winter, the team found significant upwellings of turbidity or water clouds — 32 times more in some cases — downstream from the Southgate River slip, compared to upstream.

cloudy river

Extremely turbid water can be harmful and even fatal to fish if exposed to it for an extended period of time, Geisbrecht said.

While salmon may try to avoid murky areas, Giesbrech said if they can’t, water quality could affect their ability to find food, grow and survive.

According to officials from the Homalco First Nation, the slip has damaged the Chum and Coho salmon biota.

That’s why Eric Blaney, First Nations landslide response coordinator, said they declared a state of emergency next.

Ian Gesbrecht (center), Isabel Desmarh (left) and Kira St-Pierre (right) work with the Hakai Institute and take monthly water samples in the area to test turbidity. (Bryer Stewart/CBC News)

“This is a crisis for us,” he said. “It’s a huge blow to the nation’s food sovereignty.”

It also threatens the economic development of Humalco, Blaney said.

salmon

Salmon trails attract grizzly bears, which in turn bring tourists to First Nation’s wildlife tours, which take place in Orford Bay, a former village site on the east side of Bute Inlet.

This is where Homalco also operates a salmon hatchery.

Eric Blaney is the landslide coordinator at Homalco First Nation and is studying the possibility of trying to restore fish habitats that have been wiped out at the base of Elliot Creek. (Bryer Stewart/CBC News)

Homalco’s president, Darren Blaney, said their goal has always been to expand the hatchery and help boost the dwindling salmon stock. He thinks it’s more urgent now because of the landslide.

“I think with all the turbidity and stuff coming out of the river now, not only will this year’s race be affected,” he said.

“We need to know what we need to rebuild.”

He said First Nation recently launched a “Homalco Guardians” program designed to monitor salmon populations through DNA samples. They hope to expand efforts to trace back fish.

President Blaney said that at Elliott Creek Base there were Coho Ponds where fish were raised. Since these have been destroyed, they are looking into the possibility of creating new channels that would serve as a home.

Homalco chief Darren Blaney stands on the quayside of Orford Bay, BC, where First Nation hopes to expand its salmon hatchery. Homalco is meeting with British Columbia government representatives, along with the fishing resorts in the area, to talk about the need for increased salmon surveillance. (Bryer Stewart/CBC News) The Challenges of Restoration

However, according to Derek Ray, a coastal geomorphologist, restoration would be expensive, as it would involve digging a new channel and bringing all the equipment and crews onto a barge.

said Ray, who works for Vancouver-based Northwest Hydraulic Consultants and spent a few hours surveying an area.

Watch | Environmental Impact Study of the Inlet Bot Landslide:

British Columbia scientists and the First Nation group are examining the environmental impact of a powerful landslide near Bute Inlet, 220 kilometers northwest of Vancouver, that carved a valley through a stream bed and destroyed trees and fish habitats. 5:38

Ray said these types of slides have occurred throughout history and while nature is gradually reforming itself, the main difference now is that many salmon are struggling.

“Most of the salmon have already been severely affected,” he said.

“We’re talking about nails in the coffin now.”

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