U.K. researchers use drills and seawater to thicken Arctic ice

After drilling a hole in the Arctic sea ice, a team of U.K. scientists use hydrogen-powered pumps to transport the water to the surface. The idea is to thicken the sea ice cover.  (Real Ice - image credit)
After drilling a hole in the Arctic sea ice, a team of U.K. scientists use hydrogen-powered pumps to transport the water to the surface. The idea is to thicken the sea ice cover. (Real Ice - image credit)

In the depths of a Nunavut winter, parka-clad scientists are drilling holes in the ice near Cambridge Bay, looking for seawater.

It might sound like a peculiar thing to do in the Arctic Ocean, but it's all in the name of combating the effects of climate change.

Using hydrogen-powered technology, the scientists from U.K. firm Real Ice spent a week last January pumping the water out, and flooding the frozen ocean surface on top. They were testing technology that they hope could be used across the entire Arctic region.

"This seawater comes in contact with the cold air... and it freezes very quickly adding an extra layer of thick ice," explained Real Ice co-CEO Andrea Ceccolini.

Ceccolini says that method proved successful in a football field-sized area a few kilometres from Cambridge Bay, where the Canadian High Arctic Research Station is based.

"In our research area, we had a growth of up to 50 centimetres [in thickness]" by May this year, said Cian Sherwan, also a co-CEO of Real Ice.

Eventually, the scientists hope to cover most of the Arctic Ocean, and have the project be mostly locally owned and operated.

Real Ice's Cian Sherwin says the salinity level from their experiments in Cambridge Bay in 2024 showed some salt had travelled to the bottom of the new ice. That indicates there has been some brine movement from the top to the bottom of the newer ice.
Real Ice's Cian Sherwin says the salinity level from their experiments in Cambridge Bay in 2024 showed some salt had travelled to the bottom of the new ice. That indicates there has been some brine movement from the top to the bottom of the newer ice.

Drilling on the ice near Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, last winter. (Submitted by Real Ice)

The Arctic Ocean spans an area of approximately 14 million square kilometres, and covering the region is quite the mission. Ceccolini isn't fazed.

"The climate issue is big and it needs big bold solutions," he said.

"If we manage to cover one million square kilometres each year in the Arctic [over several years], we believe we can preserve the current sea ice… and even start to restore it where it was in the 1980s."

To scale up the project, they are looking at automated underwater drones to find areas to drill a hole.

Ceccolini says the temperatures under the ice are easier, and more reliable, to deal with than above the surface.

Ceccolini says the Real Ice team will be consulting with local communities, and biologists, before carrying out their experiments. They'll also be operating away from settlements, shipping routes, or fragile wildlife areas. But on the latter, he says there can be positive impacts too.

Real Ice says it couldn't have done their 2024 trials without the support - and guidance - of Cambridge Bay locals. Eventually, they envision the project to be mostly owned by local communities.
Real Ice says it couldn't have done their 2024 trials without the support - and guidance - of Cambridge Bay locals. Eventually, they envision the project to be mostly owned by local communities.

Real Ice envisions a larger project mostly owned by local communities. (Submitted by Real Ice)

Pamela Nakashook sees those ecological benefits. As the Cambridge Bay guide for the expedition team, she was initially sceptical. But seeing the results with her own eyes convinced her.

Nakashook thinks back to an incident years ago, when a group of caribou fell through thin ice.

"The caribou rely on the ocean to cross and migrate from the mainland to Victoria Island and back. So if the ice can get thicker, it would be very helpful for the caribou," she said.

Real Ice estimates the cost to cover the entire Arctic Ocean would be about $10 billion.

That, Andrea Ceccolini says, is "tiny" in comparison to the cost of climate change.

Last winter's experiments were funded by Polar Knowledge Canada and other organizations. It's not clear who would pay for a larger, $10-billion project.

'Seems impossible to me'

The Real Ice project is being met with scepticism from some other sea-ice researchers who say it's just not feasible.

"It just seems impossible to me," said Julienne Stroeve, a polar climate scientist from the University of Manitoba.

And though it might prove helpful for some species — if it works — Stroeve says it could have negative consequences for others.

"By pumping seawater on top of the ice, you're destroying the overlying snowpack. That's an issue for species like ring seals… which actually dig their dens on top of that ice," she said.

Snow also blocks the amount of light that can get through so removing it, Stroeve says, can lead to algae blooms.

Real Ice expeditioners spent over a week in January 2024 to conduct the experiments, then returned in May to see the results.
Real Ice expeditioners spent over a week in January 2024 to conduct the experiments, then returned in May to see the results.

Real Ice expeditioners spent over a week in January 2024 to conduct the experiments, then returned in May to see the results. (Submitted by Real Ice)

Walt Meier, from the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center, doesn't want to dismiss new innovations, but he wonders whether the benefits of the project would even endure.

"It's going to last maybe one or two years. The ice is going to melt… and it's going to drift into the Atlantic Ocean and then it's gone," Meier said.

Both Meier and Stroeve agree, however, that the technology could be useful on a smaller scale, like for strengthening ice roads.

They also agree that the estimated $10 billion cost for the project would be money better spent on curbing emissions, rather than trying to cover the ocean with more ice.

Ceccolini agrees that curbing emissions is essential, but says the issue is urgent and curbing emissions involves a lot of political and industrial hurdles.

"That solution is so far away," he said.

With the first trial complete, Real Ice is planning another round of tests in Cambridge Bay this winter, before deciding how to expand across the wider Arctic.