Our Progress
There’s a crisis in the Arctic. Sea ice melt, once a consequence of climate change, is now a cause. Our mission is to stop it. By investigating and researching solutions to Arctic ice melt, we aim to provide the world with crucial time to decarbonize and avoid catastrophic climate impacts.
the crisis
The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the rest of the globe resulting in critical loss of reflective Arctic sea ice. Continued accelerated ice melt will increase the severity and frequency of climate related hazards and lead to an existential global crisis.
our solution
Deploying a thin layer of tiny hollow glass microspheres (HGMs) atop Arctic sea ice will mimic and enhance its natural albedo effect, protecting young sea ice through the summer months, potentially allowing for conversion to highly reflective multiyear ice, thus slowing the rate of Arctic sea ice melt.
the science
Arctic ice reflects the sun’s heat and energy (albedo effect) out of the Earth’s atmosphere. Increasing the albedo of Arctic sea ice to reflect sunlight can reduce warming and stabilize Earth’s weather patterns, sea levels, and temperatures.
the impact
Advanced computer modeling indicates the deployment of HGM technology in strategic Arctic locations could provide an additional decade or more for the world to decarbonize before the worst impacts of climate change are realized and become irreversible.
At Arctic Ice Project, our mission zeroes in on a pivotal factor in the Arctic crisis: melting sea ice. By covering key portions of the Arctic in a thin layer of tiny, silica-based beads which ecologically function akin to sand, we aim to enhance reflectivity, reduce the absorption of solar energy, curtail the pace of melting, and stave off the heat exchange between warming oceans and the fragile Arctic atmosphere, stabilizing the global climate.
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As the ice retreats, the cycle of melting accelerates, amplifying Arctic warming which in turn contributes significantly to global climate shifts. Our initiative to amplify the ice’s reflective quality acts as a buffer, buying crucial time as humanity grapples with the challenge of decarbonizing.
Yet, we are clear-eyed about the broader challenge. While our efforts play a crucial role, the ultimate reversal of global warming entails rapid and global decarbonization.
Research Progress
Over the past year, our research efforts with SINTEF have progressed significantly and focused on three critical aspects:
Ecotoxicology
Ongoing studies on four key marine species suggest that HGMs show limited evidence of significant mortality. We found unexpected results with another species, Calanus, which is now shaping the direction for our next phase of research to address new and important unanswered questions. As we continue essential research, these findings provide us confidence that we are addressing relevant contributing factors toward the safety of HGM deployment.
Fate and Distribution
We have made significant progress in understanding how HGMs behave in the Arctic Ocean environment. Our studies have shown that HGMs are not highly susceptible to biofouling under tested conditions.
Publication
We are proud to announce that our recent research findings have been published in ScienceDirect: Cold Regions Science and Technology. The article, titled “Characterization of Hollow Glass Microspheres with Potential for Regional Climate Intervention to Preserve Snow and Ice Surfaces,” provides valuable insights into the environmental fate of HGMs.
We are making excellent progress with our lab studies, focusing on pelagic and benthic organisms. By mid-December, we anticipate submitting two additional manuscripts that will delve into the elemental analysis and data interpretation of our findings. We expect these manuscripts to be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals shortly thereafter.
Research Partners
Generous support has been instrumental in advancing our research. We have partnered with SINTEF Ocean in Trondheim, Norway, and Climformatics in Fremont, CA to further investigate HGM technology’s safety, environmental impact and efficiencies within the Arctic Ocean.
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