Arctic Ice Preservation Trials Test Pumping Water onto Ice Sheet

Two companies ran field trials this year to test a method of preserving Arctic sea ice by pumping seawater onto the ice surface during winter so that it freezes and adds thickness.

One company reported that spraying seawater onto ice off the coast of northern Svalbard slowed summer melting compared with nearby areas left untreated. The other company conducted a similar trial but did not record any measurable delay in melting. The approach relies on drawing cold seawater from beneath the ice sheet and spraying it upward so additional layers freeze solid during winter months.

Both trials occurred in polar regions where sea ice normally reaches its minimum extent each September.

Engineers designed the equipment to operate autonomously through polar night conditions using wind or solar power. Researchers measured ice thickness before and after the summer melt season using satellite data and ice buoys. The company whose trial showed slower melting said the added ice layer lasted into summer and resisted warmer air temperatures.

The second company said its equipment encountered technical issues that may have limited ice growth. Further trials will test whether scaling up the volume of water pumped can produce larger effects on ice preservation.