Story perspectives

Canadian Team Thickens Arctic Ice, Eyes $10B Drone Scale

6/19/2026

Summary

Researchers Thicken Ice

Researchers from the Real Ice project in Canada pumped about 50,000 metric tons of seawater onto Arctic sea ice, thickening it by 50 centimetres, 450 m × 450 m patch.
Funded by a £3.5 million UK grant, the team plans autonomous underwater drones for scaling, estimating a $10 billion cost.
Local Inuit people helped set up the experiment, while scientists warn that adding salty seawater and scaling the method may bring environmental and feasibility risks.

Summary

Scientists Clear Ice

Treated ice became 20-40 % clearer during melt, raising albedo and slowing melting, mechanism unknown.
The winter of 2024-2025 in Cambridge Bay was about 4 °C above average, the third warmest on record.
The RASI project funded the test with R$ 67.4 million (? 9.9 million pounds) and involves the University of Cambridge.
Planned 2026-2028 trials will expand coverage to up to one square kilometre at two Nunavut sites, pending impact studies.

Summary

Real Ice Forms

Real Ice partnered with the Centre for Climate Repair to conduct an Arctic ice-formation test.
At Cambridge Bay the pump outlet was installed about 50 cm above the ice surface.
The system lifts seawater through a 2–3 m vertical column, where it freezes instantly on contact with sub-zero air, forming a new ice layer.
The approach is described as a simple, low-tech method that could be deployed elsewhere in the Arctic.

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Researchers Thicken Ice

Researchers from the Real Ice project in Canada pumped about 50,000 metric tons of seawater onto Arctic sea ice, thickening it by 50 centimetres, 450 m × 450 m patch.
Funded by a £3.5 million UK grant, the team plans autonomous underwater drones for scaling, estimating a $10 billion cost.
Local Inuit people helped set up the experiment, while scientists warn that adding salty seawater and scaling the method may bring environmental and feasibility risks.

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