Space program captures images of B.C.’s dry riverbeds as drought continues

Photos from the Canadian Space Agency are providing a new way of looking at the drought affecting much of British Columbia.

Images captured by the Sentinel-2 satellite compare water levels of several B.C. rivers in May 2023 and May 2024.

The infrared images reflect what scientists on the ground have already been saying: water levels through the province’s Interior and north are alarmingly low.

“It is a very impressive image to see,” said Corinne Bourgault-Brunelle, mission scientist with the space agency.

“You can see the turbidity in the water … and understand it quite easily.”

Side-by-side handout images, shown in infrared, taken by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 satellite show the Quesnel River as it meets the Fraser River in Quesnel, B.C., in May 2023, left, compared with May 2024.
The Quesnel River as it meets the Fraser River in Quesnel, B.C., in May 2023, left, compared with May 2024. (European Union Copernicus Program; Processed by the Canadian Space Agency)

The photos were shared as part of the agency’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, led by NASA and the French space agency CNES.

Its goal is to survey 90 per cent of Earth’s surface water, providing new data on how lakes, rivers, oceans and reservoirs are changing over time.

An image taken last week shows the Quesnel River is more narrow, with more of its banks exposed, compared to an image taken a year ago.

The latest photo shows patches of exposed riverbed and sandbars, indicating lower water levels in the tributary as it meets the upper Fraser River in Quesnel, about 600 kilometres north of Vancouver.

Side-by-side handout images, shown in infrared, taken by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 satellite show Fort St. James, B.C., where the water appears shallower this year, right, as Stuart Lake feeds into Stuart River compared with the previous year, left.
Fort St. James, B.C., where the water appears shallower on April 22 of this year, right, as Stuart Lake feeds into Stuart River, compared with May 8, 2023, left. (European Union Copernicus Program; Processed by the Canadian Space Agency)

Side-by-side handout images, shown in infrared, taken by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 satellite show the Fort Nelson and Muskwa rivers appear narrower on May 5, 2024 right, with more of their banks exposed compared with images taken on May 9, 2023, left.
The Fort Nelson and Muskwa rivers appear narrower on May 5, 2024 right, with more of their banks exposed compared with images taken on May 9, 2023, left. (European Union Copernicus Program; Processed by the Canadian Space Agency)

Satellite images tell a similar story in Fort St. James, B.C., where the water appears shallower as Stuart Lake feeds into Stuart River.

The Fort Nelson and Muskwa rivers also appear narrower, with more of their banks exposed compared with images taken in April 2023.

And the Nechako and Fraser rivers in Prince George are similarly sparse — something that can also be seen by residents wandering the sandy riverbed that is often flooding onto streets this time of year.

A dry riverbed with a puddle in it.
Much of the Nechako River bed in Prince George, B.C., is dry at a time of year that is more often marked by concerns over flooding. (Shalina Edge)

A tree in a flood.
Often, Prince George’s Cottonwood Island Nature Park is closed due to flooding in the spring as the winter snowpack melts and surges down the Fraser and Nechako rivers, as seen in this May 2018 photo. This year, however, concerns are focused on a lack of water as the region deals with ongoing drought. (Andrew Kurjata/CBC)

Dave Campbell of the B.C. River Forecast Centre says with drought conditions dating back to 2022 and an average snowpack lower than has ever been recorded, there’s a high level of concern.

The province released its latest snowpack bulletin on Thursday, which says levels are “extremely low,” averaging 66 per cent of normal for this time of year.

If the lack of rain continues, Campbell said, “then really we are on a path toward things that we haven’t seen in recent memory.”

Bourgault-Brunelle said the hope is that by providing high-quality, up-to-date images of Canada’s surface water and coastlines, the SWOT mission will aid the understanding of issues such as drought.

Canada, she said, has millions of rivers and lakes that are very difficult to monitor using traditional methods.

Using high-resolution satellite imagery, she said, can give scientists and decision-makers more information, more quickly than ever before.

“We hope it can help us manage water resources, and make better decisions,” she said.

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