Can we refreeze the Arctic?

THERE IS CONSIDERABLY LESS SEA-ICE in the Arctic than there used to be.

- Jo Caird

Thanks to global warming, Arctic sea-ice is melting faster in the spring and taking longer to form in the autumn. Scientists who use satellite data to track Arctic sea-ice estimate that we've lost around 12 per cent of summer ice coverage for each decade since measuring began in 1985. And this trend is set to continue: the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that the Arctic is likely to be ice-free in summertime at least once by 2050.

Less ice means that less of the sun’s energy is reflected back into space. Instead, it is absorbed by the dark surface of the Arctic Ocean, warming the water and leading to further melting. This will cause sea levels to rise dramatically, which will have devastating consequences.

Climate experts agree that we need to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions if we're to slow the rate at which Arctic sea-ice is melting and, ultimately, reverse the trend. But turning this ship around, even in the most optimistic of geopolitical contexts, won't be possible right away.