Scientists in the Arctic have found a way to grow sea ice

Last week, scientists revealed concerning findings about the colossal Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica. 

Researchers said there is a “grim outlook” for the future of the ice sheet. 

Measuring roughly the size of Great Britain, the frozen mass has been dubbed the ‘Doomsday Glacier’ because of the catastrophic effect that its collapse would have on the planet. 

If the glacier were to melt, the resulting sea level rise would impact hundreds of millions of people, the scientists say. 

However, there has been some good news about sea ice this week, too. Initial trials involving pumping seawater onto snow in the Canadian Arctic have shown the potential to make the ice beneath thicker. 

Doomsday Glacier collapse would submerge large areas of planet earth

The Antarctic Ice Sheet is retreating at a faster rate than in previous decades, raising concerns about a total collapse. 

A team of British and American scientists have been monitoring the Thwaites Glacier since 2018 and met at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) last week to reveal their findings. 

The ice sheet, which is over 2,000 metres thick in some places, is one of the largest and fastest-changing glaciers in the world. 

The volume of ice flowing into the sea from Thwaites and its neighbouring glaciers has more than doubled from the 1990s to the 2010s. 

The wider region, called the Amundsen Sea Embayment, accounts for 8 per cent of the current rate of global sea level rise of 4.6 mm a year.  

If the Thwaites Glacier collapsed entirely, sea levels would rise by 65 cm, the researchers said. 

“Thwaites has been retreating for more than 80 years, accelerating considerably over the past 30 years, and our findings indicate it is set to retreat further and faster,” said Dr Rob Larter, a member of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) monitoring the ice sheet and a marine geophysicist at BAS.  

“There is a consensus that Thwaites Glacier retreat will accelerate sometime within the next century,” he added. 

“However, there is also concern that additional processes revealed by recent studies, which are not yet well enough studied to be incorporated into large scale models, could cause retreat to accelerate sooner.” 

The findings suggest Thwaites Glacier and much of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could be lost by the 23rd century. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Thwaites Glacier is exceptionally vulnerable because its ice rests on a bed far below sea level that slopes downwards towards the heart of West Antarctica. 

Using advanced technology such as underwater robots, novel survey techniques, and new approaches to ice flow and fracture modelling, scientists have gained new insights into these processes. 

Initial trials show seawater could be used to make Arctic sea ice thicker

In positive news, an ambitious project experimenting with thickening sea ice in the Canadian Arctic has shown success during initial tests. 

UK start-up Real Ice conducted field trials earlier this year to pump seawater over ice sheets. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Arctic sea ice is also melting rapidly as a result of climate change and scientists predict the region will be ice-free during summer in the 2030s. 

Researchers from Real Ice aim to bolster ice sheets on which polar wildlife and Inuit communities depend. 

The start-up is experimenting with drilling through the ice to the ocean below and pumping up water onto the snow above. 

The water fills air pockets in the snow and freezes, gradually turning into ice. 

ADVERTISEMENT

“Our objective is to demonstrate that ice thickening can be effective in preserving and restoring Arctic sea ice,” Andrea Ceccolini, co-CEO of Real Ice told New Scientist.

The company’s trials, conducted in collaboration with the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge, resulted in 25 cm of natural ice growth on the underside of the ice.

“The results in May confirm that actually, yes, you do get this additional rate of growth of new sea ice from the underside,” Shaun Fitzgerald, director of the Centre for Climate Repair, told New Scientist.