During an era of unprecedented climate disaster, good news about our changing environment is harder to come by. 2023 marked the 36th year in a row that glaciers lost rather than gained ice, according to the World Glacier Monitoring Service. Record temperatures last year resulted in Greenland’s third highest melt season and a 4% volume loss in Switzerland’s glaciers. Initial field tests conducted by the UK start-up Real Ice, however, reveal that there could now be a way to thicken Arctic ice.
Founded in 2019, Real Ice seeks to address the threat of a “blue ocean event,” in which Arctic sea ice disappears entirely. The organization partners with prestigious research institutes and international panels of climate experts to develop systems through which it can strengthen and restore Arctic ice. Their signature AquaFreezing approach effectively recycles sea water by transforming it into sea ice, all while relying upon zero-emission renewable energy and simple water pumping devices.
This past year, Real Ice conducted field tests in the Canadian Arctic, employing the AquaFreezing process in collaboration with the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge. The tests involved drilling through sea ice and pumping water from the ocean below onto the snow above.
The intended goal was for the water to freeze on the ice’s surface and gradually create new layers of ice, providing additional protection against the summer melting season. Initial results proved successful, and generated 25 centimeters of natural ice growth on the ice’s underside.
“When deployed at scale, our approach offers the potential to add to the lifespan of the sea ice, ultimately giving humanity more time to adapt to and mitigate against climate change,” Real Ice writes.
Though the current conditions of our glaciers are grim, Real Ice suggests a bold way forward through their ice preservation methodologies. To learn more about their initiatives, you can visit the Real Ice website.
Glaciers are melting at an alarming pace due to global warming and climate change.
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To counterbalance this environmental devastation, a UK-based startup called Real Ice may have found a way to thicken Arctic ice.
Using their AquaFreezing approach, Arctic sea water is recycled and transformed into sea ice.
Field results showed 25 cm of natural ice growth on the sea ice’s underside.
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All images via Real Ice.
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