A scientist team just had a crazy idea to prevent the ice cap from melting due to climate change: spreading glass powder on certain parts of the Arctic.
The more the ice cap melts and becomes thin the less it reflects sun rays and heat.
The ice melts into the dark water and loses it reflecting effects, contributing to increase sea temperatures and to speed ice pack decline.
The project called Arctic Ice, based in California, has the ambition to solve the problem by spreading silica powder used in glass making to reflect Sun’s rays and reject the heat.
Thus, the ice could reconstitute itself.
The stakes are major as it could slow down climate change consequences like the rising sea level.
The method has been tested on lakes in Canada and United States and ice got 20% more reflecting in a pond in Minnesota.
However, some scientists are concern about the effect of silica on the ecosystem. Some species could eat it and disturb the entire food chain.
That may be a crazy project but it’s a global necessity to think of solutions to prevent the Arctic from melting. The entire world’s future depends on it.