Climformatics passion is Climate Restoration
We offer custom climate modeling and impact assessment to vet applications
of frontier climate restoration technologies

ice

Arctic Sea Ice Restoration

In collaboration with Arctic Ice Project (AIP) we are evaluating, using climate modeling, the effects of their albedo enhancement technology and its application for Arctic climate restoration. AIP are proposing artificial increasing of the sea ice albedo by covering it with non-toxic hollow glass microspheres (HGMs) with high reflective properties. Climformatics has conducted several numerical studies evaluating the AIP technology impacts in an Arctic-wide and in strategic regions such as Fram Strait and Beaufort Gyre area.

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Arctic Wide intervention
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Nontoxic
hollow glass
microspheres
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Small scale field test
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Targeted Deployments

Our goal is to determine key locations which will allow for minimizing treatment area while maximizing benefit e.g. Fram Strait and the Beaufort Gyre.

Fram Strait Intervention

Fram Strait is the main gateway of Arctic sea ice export. Recent thinning and speeding up of the Arctic ice pack has increased the ice loss through the Fram strait. AIP intervention via albedo enhancement in the Fram Strait will thicken the sea ice in the Fram Strait and would slow down the ice export, reducing the ice loss. The targeted region (magenta) covers 151,200km2 or 1% of the Arctic ocean.

Beaufort Gyre Region Intervention

The Beaufort Gyre (BG) is a main feature of the Arctic large scale sea ice circulation and it can spread the AIP material basin-wide. The treatment region (outlined in magenta) is in the Beaufort Sea where the BG core is located during the spring (April-May-June). It covers area of 1.5M km2 (~11% of the Arctic ocean area).

Climate Model Experiments and Diagnostics

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