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Geoengineering to Save the Arctic: A Desperate Race Against Time

🔍 The Challenge: Declining Arctic Sea Ice

Deep within the Arctic Circle, researchers are scrambling to tackle one of mankind’s greatest challenges: the rapid decline of sea ice. From underwater drones to tiny glass beads designed to reflect sunlight, the race is on to slow the melt and mitigate global warming. The Wall Street Journal exclusively followed one team with a big plan to future-proof this fragile region.

🏔️ Svalbard: The Frozen Frontier

This is Svalbard, one of the coldest inhabited places on Earth. Situated in the Norwegian Archipelago, it is engulfed by Arctic sea ice, covering roughly 6.2 million square miles in late winter. However, as the weather warms in summer, the ice dramatically shrinks, which could have catastrophic global consequences. The ice helps to keep our planet cooler, reflecting sunlight back into space. Its decline means the Earth absorbs more heat, accelerating global warming. One study estimated that the complete disappearance of Arctic sea ice in summer could have the same warming impact as one trillion tons of carbon dioxide.

💡 Geoengineering: Innovative Solutions

A Dutch startup is attempting to slow the melt by geoengineering the Arctic. Inspired by the methods used to create ice rinks for Dutch ice skating marathons, they are experimenting with ice thickening methods. Scientists from two universities are lending their expertise to this ambitious project. They believe that by thickening the ice, they can stop its decline long enough for global CO2 emissions to be reduced, eventually allowing the ice to be regenerative once more.

Similar methods have been used in Canada for decades, where pumped water is frozen to create ice roads strong enough to carry the weight of trucks. Here in the Arctic, the team first needs to understand the environment they’re working in. They are drilling and taking samples to analyze the ice core’s

,

, and

—all critical factors that affect ice formation and preservation.

🧊 The Ice Core Examination

During their field test, the team observed a 36-inch thick ice core. They estimated that they could add up to 14 more inches if the experiment is successful. Hundreds of ice cores are being examined to gather enough data. Understanding the salinity is crucial because saltwater freezes differently, forming small crystals that expel salt back into the water below.

🌡️ Temperature Insights

Another vital factor is temperature variation within the ice. The team drills holes into the ice core to measure internal temperatures. For instance, at a point where the outside temperature is around minus 17 or minus 18 degrees Celsius, the ice core’s internal temperature was minus 4.5 degrees Celsius halfway through. They need to see how the flooding from pumped water is changing the ice’s temperature profile.

💧 Pumping Water: The Core of the Experiment

At the heart of the experiment is the technology to resurface water onto the ice. By connecting pumps underneath the ice, water is brought up and spread over an area roughly the size of two football fields. The group is pumping over 900 gallons of water per minute for hours at a time. However, one major challenge is how to power these pumps sustainably.

Currently using diesel, the startup aims to transition to renewable energy in the future. Deciding on solutions like local wind power to operate in conditions as harsh as minus 40 degrees Celsius is a monumental engineering challenge. Other researchers are developing more environmentally friendly technologies, such as seawater drones powered by green hydrogen, which can travel under the ice to resurface water.

🌞 Reflective Glass Beads: A Ray of Hope

Other experiments include spreading a fine layer of reflective glass microbeads across the ice’s surface to bounce more sunlight back into the atmosphere. In one test, this method slowed the melting rate by around 30%, according to a peer-reviewed paper. However, all these innovations will require substantial investment and international cooperation. One estimate suggests that scaling up similar projects could cost up to $500 billion. Conversely, the acceleration of climate change driven by a thawing Arctic could cause up to $130 trillion in extra economic losses over the next three centuries.

⚠️ The Criticism and Future Prospects

Despite the promise, critics warn about the unintended consequences of geoengineering technology. Trying to cool the Arctic regionally without addressing global warming risks disrupting our weather systems further, as the temperature difference between the poles and the equator drives many of our weather patterns. Some argue that the focus should be on carbon capture technologies to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.

Regardless, researchers are hopeful that their Arctic tests will provide crucial proof-of-concept results. If successful, the next step would be demonstrating ice thickening on a much larger scale. Larger engineering challenges have been overcome before, but the fate of Arctic sea ice will hinge on worldwide efforts to cut emissions.

As we await the final results this summer, one thing is clear: our planet’s future may very well depend on these desperate yet bold innovations.

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