As the devastating fires around Jasper National Park filled the sky with smoke and ash, John Pomeroy was thinking of the region's famous — and melting — glaciers.

Just a week before the fires, the University of Saskatchewan hydrologist had been to the Athabasca Glacier located about 100 kilometres south of the town of Jasper, to collect measurements. His team found that the glacier had already melted about three metres in thickness since last September. "Which is plenty for a mostly winter period," he said.

What Pomeroy's been seeing at the glacier is not the bright white, snowy landscape they're often associated with — but rather a grimy and darkened surface. He believes it's likely that the glacier has been further darkened by the ash and soot from the latest fires.