Skepticism about plans to refreeze the Arctic

Deep in the Canadian Arctic, scientists and businessmen brave sub-zero temperatures, whipping winds and blizzards to dig holes through sea ice to pump seawater up from below and freeze it at the surface. land. The team from British startup Real Ice is in Cambridge Bay, a small coastal village in Nunavut, looking to prove they can grow and regenerate Arctic sea ice. Their plan is to thicken ice across more than 999,735 square kilometers of the Arctic, an area more than twice the size of the state of California, with the goal of slowing or even reversing summer ice loss, thereby contributing to solving the problem. solve the human-caused climate crisis, according to CNN.

This is a bold plan and is among many controversial geoengineering proposals to save the Earth’s polar regions, from installing giant underwater curtains to protect ice shelves, to scattering tiny glass beads. ti to reflect sunlight. Some scientists and Arctic experts criticize Real Ice’s approach as unprovable at large scale, as having ecological risks, and as reducing attention to the root causes of climate change. fossil fuel. But the company says its project is inspired by many natural processes, providing a last chance to protect ecosystems that are gradually disappearing due to the world’s inability to quickly handle climate change.

Arctic sea ice is shrinking as humans continue to warm the Earth through burning fossil fuels. Since the mid-1980s, the amount of thick multi-year ice has decreased by 95%. The remaining ice is new and quite thin. Some scientists predicted the Arctic could experience ice-free summers as early as the 1930s. The disappearance of sea ice is a global problem. Its bright white surface reflects solar energy back into space, helping to cool the planet. As the ice melts, darker oceans are exposed below that can absorb more sunlight. It’s a gloomy cycle, global warming melts ice and melting ice provides more heat for global warming.

Real Ice’s plan to protect this ice-covered ocean includes placing electric underground pumps under the sea ice to pump seawater to the surface. The water freezes as it spreads across the ice, creating another layer of ice. The process also removes snow from the ice surface, causing it to lose its insulation and promoting further sea ice growth on the underside, according to Andrea Ceccolini, co-chief executive officer of Real Ice.

The startup has been conducting field testing in the Arctic for nearly two years. The first test in Alaska last year was mostly to test whether the device worked and could withstand cold conditions. Real Ice’s team began testing in Cambridge in Canada in January this year. They covered 4,088 m2 of ice and increased the thickness by an average of 50 cm from January to May compared to the control area. The new trial in Cambridge Bay started in November and covers 39,948 square metres. During the first 10 days, the ice layer thickened by 10 cm in the places they tested. They will return at the beginning of the new year and in May to measure the amount of ice produced. Based on previous results, they predict the ice volume will increase by 40 – 79 cm.

Real Ice’s ultimate plan is to automate the process, using underwater drones, each nearly 2 meters long and powered by green hydrogen. The drone will melt the ice from below using a heat drill. Ceccolini estimates they will use about 500,000 drones at full scale and deploy carefully to avoid animal migration paths or ocean routes. If all goes according to plan, they can expand within 8 – 10 years.

The above activities are not cheap. Real Ice estimates it would cost between $5 and $6 billion a year to thicken ice over an area of ​​more than 99,735 square kilometers, an area large enough to effectively slow and even reverse the disappearance of sea ice in the summer. North Pole. Real Ice mainly raises capital from investors. They will then seek a global or government funding source.

However, many scientists are skeptical whether the project will be effective on a large scale. According to Jennifer Francis, senior scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, the ice will be significantly thicker and brighter in many local areas surrounding the pump. But the big question is whether enough sea ice can grow over long enough to make any difference to the crisis.

The scalability of Real Ice’s solution is extremely doubtful, according to Liz Bagshaw, associate professor of polar environmental change at the University of Bristol. She also warned of potential widespread ecological impacts in the vulnerable area.

Ceccolnini does not deny that the project could cause changes to the ocean environment, for example they are considering whether algae growth is affected by ice thickness, but he thinks the overall impact is quite limited. . The future of the project depends on whether the company can prove that the ice thickening method is effective and does not create major unintended impacts.