Idea to create a 100km long curtain to prevent glaciers from melting

Researchers are looking for ways to stop warm ocean currents from reaching and collapsing glaciers at the current, accelerating rate.

The Thwaites Glacier loses a large amount of ice every year. Photo: NASA — The Thwaites Glacier loses a large amount of ice every year. Photo: *NASA*

If the Thwaites glacier, nicknamed the “doomsday glacier,” were to collapse, cities like New York, Miami, and New Orleans would be flooded. Globally, 97 million people would be affected by the fast-approaching water, threatening their homes, communities, and livelihoods. Currently, the giant ice sheet in Antarctica blocks warm ocean water from reaching other glaciers. If Thwaites were to disappear, it would trigger a mass melt that could raise sea levels by 3 meters, Business Insider reported on March 5.

The melting Thwaites glacier is responsible for 4% of global sea level rise so far. Since 2000, Thwaites has lost more than 1 trillion tons of ice. But it’s not the only glacier in trouble. That’s why engineers are working on a number of technological innovations that could slow the rate of glacier melt. The latest solution is an underwater canopy. John Moore, a glaciologist and geoengineer at the University of Lapland, wants to install a giant 100-kilometer-long underwater canopy to keep warm ocean water from reaching and melting the glacier. But he needs $50 billion to make it happen.

One of the main causes of glacier melt is warm, salty ocean water from deep in the ocean. This warm water moves around the flanks of Thwaites Glacier, melting the thick ice that prevents its edges from collapsing. As the ocean warms due to climate change, the warm currents are increasingly eroding Thwaites, pushing it closer to complete collapse. Moore and his colleagues are investigating whether they can hang a canopy over the Amundsen Sea floor to slow the rate of melt. In theory, the canopy could block the warm currents from reaching Thwaites, stopping the melt and giving the ice sheet time to thicken.

This isn’t the first time Moore has proposed such a blocking solution. His curtain idea builds on a similar one he shared in 2018, which involved blocking the warm water with a massive wall. But according to Moore, the curtain is a much safer option. It’s effective at blocking the warm current, but much easier to remove if needed. For example, if the curtain is having a negative impact on the local environment, they can take it out and redesign it.

While Moore and his colleagues are still decades away from using the technology to save the Thwaites glacier, they are already testing a smaller-scale prototype. Moore’s colleagues at the University of Cambridge are in the early stages of designing and testing the prototype, and could move on to the next phase by the summer of 2025.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge are currently testing a meter-long version of the technology in tanks. Once they have proven it works, they will move on to testing it on the River Cam, either by installing it on the riverbed or towing it behind a boat. The idea is to gradually increase the size of the prototype until they have evidence that the technology is stable enough to deploy in the Arctic. If all goes to plan, the researchers could test a 10-meter-long prototype in a Norwegian fjord in about two years.

This year’s experiments for the project will cost about $10,000. But to get to the point where Moore and his colleagues can confidently install the technology, they’ll need about $10 million. They’ll need another $50 billion to install the canopy in the Amundsen Sea. Data shows the Thwaites glacier is melting at an unprecedented rate due to climate change. But the question of when it will collapse remains a debate among glaciologists. They need to collect better data, but that will take time, and glaciers like Thwaites may not have much time left.

An Khang (According to Business Insider )

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