Every decade, about 13% of the ice in the Arctic Ocean is lost, but scientists are now exploring whether new technology can help refreeze the sea ice and halt its rapid decline. Scientists from two enterprises, Real Ice and Arctic Reflections, have been testing a plan to spread seawater on top of the ice in order to create thicker ice that will last longer in the summer months.
How bad is the situation in the Arctic? The level of Arctic sea ice has declined starkly in recent decades due to increasing global emissions, and the "oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic has declined by a stunning 95%" since the 1980s, said the World Wildlife Fund. At this point, there's some consensus that even if "greenhouse gas emissions are sharply reduced" immediately, the Arctic would still be free of summer ice by the next decade, said The Guardian. Research published last year suggests 90% of the melting had been due to "human-caused global heating."
How does the refreezing plan work? Engineers will first send an underwater drone to find thin ice and punch a hole through to the surface. They will then "flood" seawater over the top of the ice using pumps, said The Times. It's hoped that the extra water will speed up the "natural freezing process" and "create ice that's about a meter thicker" and, therefore, more durable in warmer temperatures. Though the system has been through numerous tests already, this year was the first time the pumps were powered by renewable energy, running on hydrogen.
Will it work? The sheer size of the Arctic means there's doubt whether the technology could be rolled out effectively and widely enough to make a significant difference. Some research suggests "deploying pumps across a tenth" of the area could "reverse present trends of ice loss," said The Times, but that would require "about 10 million pumps" alone. Ultimately, refreezing is not a "solution" to the problem, Hayo Hendrikse, an assistant professor at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, said to The Guardian, but merely a "sticking plaster" that could be used on a "smaller scale." |