Summer ice in the Arctic is diminishing at an alarming rate. Increase in radiative forcing due to the loss of sea ice is contributing to global warming. Artificially enhancing the sea ice albedo could be a possible lever to restoring and rebuilding the Arctic sea ice. Using reflective hollow glass spheres with low environmental impact, Field et al (2018) reported that such a technology could be promising towards restoring Arctic Sea Ice. Here we present the preliminary climate modeling and impact assessment of such a technology both regionally and globally. We seek to answer the scientific question of whether an enhanced sea ice albedo over the whole of Arctic sea ice provides a large enough perturbation to the climate in the Arctic and if so what is its likely impact over the rest of the globe. The study shows that the climate impact of such a method results in more than 1.5°C cooler temperatures over a large part of the Arctic and about 3°C reduction over regions north of Barents and Kara Seas. We also see notable increases in sea ice thickness (20–50 cm Arctic wide) and (>15–20%) increases in sea ice concentration across large parts of the central Arctic. These preliminary results suggest that such a technology may be a viable instrument for restoring Arctic ice. However, practicality dictates that a localized targeted deployment of the technology may be more desirable. We are extending this work to evaluate targeted deployment of materials in key areas and will present the climate modeling results on efficiency of targeted deployment for at least one such targeted area. Reference: Field, L., Ivanova, D., Bhattacharyya, S., Mlaker, V., Sholtz, A., Decca, R., et al.(2018). Increasing Arctic sea ice albedo using localized reversible geoengineering. Earth’s Future, 6. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018EF000820

Context: A Focus on Arctic Ice Restoration Arctic ice loss has been linked to global climatic changes including droughts and wildfires and extreme winter weather. Since 1979 the Arctic has lost 75% of its ice volume, resulting in a loss of albedo that contributes significantly to global warming. Ice911’s mission is to develop and test methods to preserve and ultimately restore ice using a thin coating of high-albedo reflective materials applied to strategic areas of low-albedo ice in the Arctic, in order to reduce climate change impacts. Methods: Arctic Field Testing and Laboratory Safety Testing At Ice911’s Arctic lake test site in Ukpeagvik (Barrow), Alaska, working with UIC for science logistics and permits, a section of the winter ice was treated with 15,000 m2 of reflective hollow glass microsphere materials, using an agricultural spreader. Monitoring instrumentation included albedo and temperature measurement and cameras mounted on buoys. The treated area was observed and compared to control areas throughout the 2018 melt. Data was transmitted wirelessly and combined with on-site aerial drone footage. Laboratory safety testing and field evaluation of the fate of the materials continued, as part of the “first do no harm” obligation of the work. Results The data collection and wireless communication worked reliably in the field. Video footage taken during the melt was run through an image processing algorithm to compare albedo differential and results show higher reflectivity in areas with material applied, despite variable stream flows during the melt. The flotation for both the custom Ice911-built buoys and a purchased buoy were compromised by the variable stresses exerted during the ice melt in the lake, and improvements are being made to the Ice911 buoy design. Laboratory safety testing shows no deleterious impacts from the materials. At the field test site, after the melt the sand-like materials were blown to shore and joined the surrounding mud. Conclusion Field work, permitting, climate modeling and laboratory testing are ongoing to confirm material safety and performance and to improve deployment and monitoring, with the goal of readying the technology for a potential targeted deployment within a few years of a 10,000-100,000 km2 on sea ice at a location chosen to have a significant positive climate impact.

The Earth’s Arctic ice cover has diminished rapidly. NOAA reported last December that 95% of the most-reflective multi-year ice has disappeared over the past 40 years. The effects of this lost reflectivity in the Arctic is to increase the net energy influx to the Arctic accelerating heating locally and worldwide, as well as affecting the jet stream, all leading to increasing climate-related impacts on populations and ecosystems worldwide. When considering any interventions to attempt to restore global ecosystems, the safety and reversibility of these interventions must be considered a key metric. As an example, the focus of our work is to restore a natural ecosystem (reflective multi-year ice in the Arctic) that was there until very recently. Our focus is on using a safe material, hollow glass microspheres, made of components (primarily silica) that are ubiquitous in the Earth’s ecosystem, and that are not in a respirable range, and that do not have a tendency to take up oil-based or other toxic pollutants. We will detail these and further safety considerations in such approaches in our presentation.