How Viable are the Wild Ideas to Save the Polar Ice Sheets?

A new study published last week is casting doubt on proposals designed to save the world's melting ice sheets. Here is a look at what the study said about these moonshot ideas.

Study Looks at Feasibility of Ideas to Save Polar Ice Sheets

Climate change is accelerating the melting of the polar ice sheets across the world. These massive frozen landscapes contain enough water to trigger devastating sea level rise as they melt, prompting climatologists to want to take action to stop the process. However, a new study out of the University of Exeter is warning that the proposals could cause irreparable damage.

The concept known as "polar geoengineering" is designed to intentionally cool the Arctic and Antarctic through artificial measures in an attempt to mitigate the impacts of global warming on the ice sheets. While some of the ideas have gained popularity among scientists and investors, the study published in the journal Frontiers in Science is warning that these ideas are not viable.

The team of researchers analyzed five of the most popular proposals. These five ideas include adding nutrients to the world's polar oceans to encourage carbon-sucking plankton, installing giant curtains to the bed of the ocean to slow the melting ice shelves, pumping seawater onto ice to intentionally make it thicker, sending sun-reflecting particles into the stratosphere to cool the planet, and drilling to pump water from under the glaciers to decelerate the ice sheet flow.

The group of researchers looked at each of these five proposals, rating them on feasibility, costs, risks, effectiveness, scalability, and potential roadblocks. None of the five proposals was found to be a viable option. Furthermore, all five were likely to be dangerous to the environment.

The lead researcher of the study said that the harsh environments of the Arctic and Antarctic were prohibitive in installing any of the proposals. In addition, the researchers noted that none of the ideas had been tested at scale.

For example, installing giant sea curtains could disrupt the natural habitats of small and large marine animals. Meanwhile, drilling holes could contaminate the marine environment, while spraying particles into the stratosphere could disrupt weather patterns around the planet.

According to the study's researchers, the most worrisome proposal was the idea to scatter glass beads on the ocean floor in an effort to stop the water from absorbing the sun's heat. The original research conducted by the group Arctic Ice Project was halted earlier in the year after a series of tests demonstrated possible risks to the Arctic food chain.

Costs to Deploy Interventions a Significant Roadblock

The costs of rolling out any of these interventions were also largely prohibitive. The report detailed that each proposal would cost at least $10 billion to set up and execute. The installation of sea curtains came in at the most expensive, estimated to cost about $80 billion over 10 years for a curtain that measured just 50 miles.

Researchers also cautioned that even if any of these proposals were feasible, it is not practical to deploy the projects on a scale large enough to put a dent in the growing climate crisis. Instead, the scientists said that the proposals are simply a distraction, taking away from initiatives that are more practical, such as a concentrated effort to reduce emissions.

Other scientists are warning that it is also not prudent to stop funding research in the field of polar geoengineering. For example, there is still a vocal group of scientists advocating for the use of solar geoengineering, citing that the intervention could work in partnership with emission cuts.

The bottom line is that one of the few things that scientists agree on is that something needs to be done to stem the tide of the climate crisis. How this is going to be achieved will continue to be a source of debate. While it is easy to get excited about some of the more innovative proposals, experts also caution that the full impacts on the ecosystem need to be determined before moving forward.

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