Mountain landscapes dotted with brilliant emerald and turquoise lakes are among the most iconic symbols of Canada’s West.
But as rising temperatures melt the glaciers that feed the lakes, these otherworldly colours are fading. That’s because the colour comes from what’s known as “rock flour,” or finely ground sediment carried to the lakes by melting glacier water. The sediment ends up suspended in the lakes, scattering blue and green light that our eyes see as jewel-like tones.
But those glaciers are vanishing. About 70 percent in Western Canada are expected to be gone by 2100. Some are now considered “palliative.” The loss of glacier ice has already increased sevenfold since 2010.
Filmmaker Leanne Allison and drone photographer Alex Taylor and their team have captured the beauty of the lakes in the poetic 17-minute National Film Board documentary Losing Blue.
“The big challenge with this film was to not make it super depressing,” Allison says. “One of the things I didn’t realize was that all lakes are born and they all die. That made me feel [they’re] more like us, in a way.”
More on Broadview:
Want to read more from Broadview? Consider subscribing to one of our newsletters.
To emphasize the beauty of blue, Allison and Taylor set the lakes against the grandeur of the Rockies.
“When you have the luxury of getting up in the sky, that perspective changes completely and there’s a whole new world of beauty to see and capture,” Taylor says.
Losing Blue will be available to stream on nfb.ca this summer.
***
Brian Vinh Tien Trinh is a writer in Toronto and a former assistant digital editor at Broadview.
This story first appeared in “The Lens” from Broadview’s April/May 2024 issue.
We hope you found this Broadview article engaging.
Our team is working hard to bring you more independent, award-winning journalism. But Broadview is a nonprofit and these are tough times for magazines. Please consider supporting our work. There are a number of ways to do so:
- Subscribe to our magazine and you’ll receive intelligent, timely stories and perspectives delivered to your home 8 times a year.
- Donate to our Friends Fund.
- Give the gift of Broadview to someone special in your life and make a difference!
Thank you for being such wonderful readers.
Jocelyn Bell
Editor/Publisher
Comments