Global warming: how researchers plan to refreeze the Arctic

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The Arctic, the region surrounding the North Pole of our planet, is seriously threatened by global warming. A critical situation, prompting scientists to explore increasingly radical methods in order to preserve this essential region of the globe, just as they are doing in Antarctica. In recent years, ideas have been flowing, all more or less feasible: sending reflective bubbles into space to reduce the solar radiation reaching our planet, giant parasols to cool the Earth, etc.

A recent report from the Wall Street Journal highlighted an initiative from a Dutch start-up: Arctic Reflections. The latter is currently working on a completely new initiative.

Save ice thanks to a heat shield

Inspired by the ingenious process of ice technicians (or glacier masters), who flood a given area to form ice rinks, this technique consists of pumping water from sea ​​on strategic locations of the Arctic sea ice.

Fonger Ypma, CEO of Artic Reflections (see video below ) specifies: “ They (Editor's note: the masters glaciers)Add thin layers of water to the ice so it freezes more quickly. If we can thicken the ice enough, we might be able to slow its melting long enough to reduce CO2 emissions and allow the ice to regenerate on its own&amp ;nbsp;”.

From then on, this frozen seawater will form an additional protective layer above the pre-existing ice, thus allowing for the Arctic ice to slowly regenerate beneath , sheltered. By doing this, the researchers hope to form a natural sea ice shield, which will act as a thermal barrier. A method with the added advantage of not requiring any harmful chemicals to lower the temperature of the ice cream.

The tests have already started in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Greenland Sea, and the start-up is working together with scientists from two different universities to test this method of ice thickening .

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Gaining time in the face of the climate emergency

Although this innovative approach cannot stem in the long term the thaw of the immense Arctic expanse, it could nevertheless offer a salutary reprieve. By allowing, in fact, the creation of an environment conducive to the slow reformation and progressive thickening of the sea ice during the winter period, scientists hope to slow down the effects of global warming# 8217;atmosphere.

This ingenious solution could therefore provide precious time, essential for the global reduction of carbon emissions and stabilization temperatures. There is no question of freezing the Arctic forever; it’s completely unimaginable; but simply to save time.

The Arctic Reflections project is a mitigation measure and will not resolve not the problem at the source: the increase in greenhouse gas emissions due to human activities. But any new weapon is good to seize in this race against time.

• Arctic Reflections, a Dutch startup, plans to refreeze the Arctic.
• Their technique: pumping seawater and spraying it onto the existing ice.
• Once frozen, the latter will act as a heat shield to protect the existing ice and allow it to regenerate.

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