Sea ice artificially thickened, but concept may not scale

Key Points

• This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of artificially thickening sea ice using pumped seawater.
• Conducted trials in the Arctic using pumped seawater on existing sea ice.
• Measured changes in ice thickness and brightness over time.
• Assessed the longevity of the ice gains post-treatment.
• Pumped seawater successfully increased ice thickness immediately after application.
• Each trial showed initial brightening of ice, but changes did not persist over time.
• Indicated that while immediate benefits occur, the long-term effectiveness of this method is questionable.

Abstract