Chapter 2: Glacial influence in the Chilko-Chilcotin system

Abstract
Episodic glaciations have sculpted the landscape of the British Columbia Coast Range and continue to influence regional systems today. Continental ice sheets, most recently the Late Wisconsinan Cordilleran ice sheet, covered the region with several kilometers of ice. Today, alpine glaciers contribute water and sediment to fluvial systems. This study explores the effects of glaciers on the Chilko-Chilcotin River System in a conceptual model that graphically illustrates linkages between drivers and outcomes of glaciation. Important drivers of glaciers and glaciation are tectonics and climate; outcomes are isostatic rebound, landscape evolution, sedimentation, hydrology, and water quality. This study is part of a greater study of riparian ecology of the Chilko-Chilcotin River System, and the conceptual model presented in this paper is a sub-model of the greater conceptual model.