IN MAPS AND CHARTS
How British scientists plan to ‘refreeze’ Arctic sea ice
Cambridge researchers will pump seawater on top in a bid to stop it shrinking
Shrinking sea ice is accelerating global warming and threatens local wildlife, forcing polar bears to swim far greater distances.
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British scientists are heading to the Arctic for an audacious attempt to discover whether engineering can help to save the region’s fast-vanishing sea ice.
A rapidly warming Earth means the extent of the ice is millions of square kilometres less today than it was decades ago. The phenomenon is accelerating climate change because white ice reflects much of the sun’s energy to space while dark water absorbs it. It also threatens local wildlife, forcing polar bears, for example, to swim greater distances.
The great melt is why some engineers are looking to “refreeze” the Arctic. Jacob Pantling of the University of Cambridge will join an international team next week in the Canadian high Arctic to test pumping seawater on top of the ice to make
