Artificial Sea Ice Thickening Test in Canada’s Arctic

Arctic summer sea ice has shrunk roughly 40 % over the past 45 years, with NOAA documenting a steady decline since 1979. In response, the Real Ice project—working with the Centre for Climate Repair, the University of Cambridge, and backed by a £3.5 million UK government grant and a R$ 67.4 million (£9.9 million) RASI programme—launched field trials in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, during the warm 2024-2025 winter, about 4 °C above average.

Scientists pumped seawater to the surface of the Arctic during the third warmest winter ever recorded in the region and thickened the ice by up to 32 centimeters in the tested areas, a gain comparable

Researchers drilled holes in a 450 m × 450 m (?0.2 km²) sea-ice patch and pumped seawater to the surface, where sub-zero air froze it instantly. Ice thickness increased by 32–50 cm, and the treated zone appeared 20–40 % lighter, raising albedo. Satellite images show the area as a bright “white island” that persisted longer into melt, extending local ice life by several days. About 50 000 metric tons of seawater were pumped, forming a 0.5 m water column over the test site.

A lifeline for the polar ice? : Research team attempts to refreeze the Arctic—and celebrates success

Real Ice CEO Andrea Ceccolini called the result “truly incredible,” stressing that the work is a research test, not a deployment. A UK government brief described the experiment as assessing long-term impacts on temperature and wildlife. Inuit resident Kyle Weese said, “For us, the ice is essential for survival,” highlighting local reliance on sea ice.

A lifeline for the polar ice? : Research team attempts to refreeze the Arctic—and celebrates success

Polar scientists have called large-scale sea-ice geoengineering “unfeasible, environmentally dangerous and a distraction from emissions cuts.” Critics note that saline water could harm marine microorganisms and that the $10 billion cost to stop annual ice loss may divert funds from mitigation. The Bluewin report warned, “We are losing Earth’s natural albedo shield in real time,” highlighting the urgency.

A lifeline for the polar ice? : Research team attempts to refreeze the Arctic—and celebrates success

Sources report thickness gains of 32 cm and 50 cm and differ on albedo effects; no peer-reviewed data exist. Potential impacts on Arctic flora, fauna and microbes are unstudied, and scaling beyond the planned 1 km² test remains unproven.

Scientists pumped seawater to the surface of the Arctic during the third warmest winter ever recorded in the region and thickened the ice by up to 32 centimeters in the tested areas, a gain comparable

• “That’s truly incredible,” — Andrea Ceccolini, CEO, Real Ice

A lifeline for the polar ice? : Research team attempts to refreeze the Arctic—and celebrates success

• “For us, the ice is essential for survival,” — Kyle Weese, Inuit resident, Cambridge Bay

A lifeline for the polar ice? : Research team attempts to refreeze the Arctic—and celebrates success

• “But, in my view, we’re at the point where we need to explore every option.” — The Guardian journalist

The Guardian

• “We are losing Earth’s natural albedo shield in real time.” — Bluewin journalist

A lifeline for the polar ice? : Research team attempts to refreeze the Arctic—and celebrates success

Real Ice plans to replace manual drilling with autonomous underwater drones using heated probes, a system already prototyped in Finland. The RASI programme will run field campaigns in two Nunavut regions from 2026 to 2028, scaling test sites to up to one square kilometre each and using simulations to assess sites such as the Nares Strait. Expansion will proceed only after confirming minimal environmental side-effects and cost-effectiveness.

Scientists pumped seawater to the surface of the Arctic during the third warmest winter ever recorded in the region and thickened the ice by up to 32 centimeters in the tested areas, a gain comparable