Glacier albedo increase

Ice sheets and glaciers

Up to 50% of the world’s glaciers are set to disappear this century, with many more at risk if emission reduction targets are not met (Rounce et al. 2023). The surface of many mountain glaciers has moreover significantly darkened due to a general increase in atmospheric black carbon and other kinds of aerosols.

It has recently been suggested that hollow glass microspheres (HGM, see also see sea ice albedo increase) could be used to increase the albedo of mountain glaciers and thereby slow their melt. The non-profit organization Bright Ice Initiative (https://brighticeinitiative.org/) is currently exploring this idea in collaboration with several other US and Indian organizations like the Healthy Climate Initiative (https://healthyclimateinitiative.org/) and Climformatics (https://climformatics.com/).

Technological Readiness Level (TRL)

Medium 2

This measure faces similar issues as sea ice albedo enhancement does: the material already exists, but there remain large uncertainties around effectiveness, material behavior, and environmental issues. While the application of HGM on sea ice has been the subject of several studies, there has been no peer reviewed publications of its usage on high mountain glaciers yet. In collaboration with scientists from IIT Indore a field experiment is scheduled to start on the Chhota Shigri Glacier in North India in the summer of 2023 (Project Himalayas Brochure, 2023).

Technological Readiness Level (TRL)

A technology with a TRL of 4-6: TRL 4 – validated in lab; TRL 5 – validated in relevant environment; TRL 6 – demonstrated in relevant environment

Scalability

Low 1

This measure would only serve to reduce the melting of specific glaciers on land, and is likely most effective on relatively flat surface areas (Project Himalayas Brochure, 2023). If HGM is found to work, there could be possible scaling advantages in the production process that reduce costs.

Scalability

Physically unable to scale; sub-linear/logarithmic efficiency of scalability

Timeliness for near-future effects

Medium 2

The suggested material already exists, but there is no certainty if this measure would actually work.

Timeliness for near-future effects

Implemented in time to make some difference, although questionable

Northern + Arctic potential

Low 1

Apart from the issues that also face the application of HGM on sea ice, the vast expanse of the Arctic and Northern regions would likely make widespread operationalization difficult.

Northern + Arctic potential

No noticeable extra positive effect beyond the global average; technology is unsuited to the Arctic

Global potential

Low 1

It would mainly concern targeted interventions with limited global effects.

Global potential

Insignificant to be detected at a global scale

Cost - benefit

High 1

There are no current estimates of the price of deployment, although the figures for the application of HGM on sea ice indicate high costs. To this, it must be added that the proposed surface area to be treated is far smaller than what Arctic Ice Project envisions for the Arctic sea ice, and that the potential sites of distribution would be many smaller surfaces instead of a single large area, which probably would come with increased costs.

Cost - benefit

Cost of investment comparable to cost of avoided damage

Environmental risks

Medium 2

There have been no studies on environmental risks. In a recent unpublished manuscript on the behavior of various HGM’s in the Arctic, Farkas et al (2023) found that some variants in their experiment leached in seawater overtime. Since mountain glaciers are generally of great importance to ecosystems and human drinking water (Cauvy-Fraunié and Dangles, 2019), this would be an essential element to investigate further.

Environmental risks

More widespread and possibly regional impacts that extend beyond the immediate solution deployment location

Community impacts

Unknown 0

Some of the sites on which this technique would be deployed might be of particular importance to local communities. For instance because of religious or financial reasons, or, especially in the context of Asian high mountain ranges, because it is a source of drinking water. The protection of such a glacier could therefore be important to such a community. However, it has to be made sure that the HGMs are environmentally safe and do not pose a risk to human health.

Ease of reversibility

Easy 3

This measure would likely stop when the HGM are washed away or buried, although they would potentially need to be cleaned up if suddenly found undesirable.

Ease of reversibility

Easily reversible naturally

Risk of termination shock

Low 3

Risk of termination shock

Low or insignificant termination shock or damage

Legality/governance

Medium 2

Legality/governance

Fits within existing structures to a certain degree, but some policy changes are needed to deploy at scale

Scientific/media attention

Medium 2

The promoters of this idea have been quite vocal, and even organized an online benefit concert to raise awareness and gain sponsors for their idea. So far the idea seems not to have been picked up in scientific circles. A recent article in The New Yorker likely provided it great public exposure (Riederer, 2023).

Scientific/media attention

Some attention within the scientific community, including published research and funding programmes; some media attention; some commercial interest

References

Cauvy-Fraunié, S., & Dangles, O. (2019). A global synthesis of biodiversity responses to glacier retreat. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3(12), 1675-1685. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-1042-8

Farkas, J., Molid, M., Hansen, B. H., Nordam, T., Nordtug, T., & Throne-Holst, M. Characterization of Hollow Glass Microspheres with Potential for Regional Climate Intervention to Preserve Arctic Sea Ice. Available at SSRN 4377493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2023.103967

Project Himalayas. 2023. Saving the Himalayan glaciers: a field trial to slow the melting of glacial ice. Brochure.

Riederer, Rachel (April 25, 2023). A Heat Shield for the Most Important Ice on Earth. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-control-of-nature/a-heat-shield-for-the-most-important-ice-on-earth

Related ideas

Permafrost patterns of tundra soil, Northeast Greenland National Park

Industry

Direct air carbon capture and storage DACCS

The concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere will have to be stabilized or lowered to mitigate or even reverse current global warming. To achieve this, current GHG emissions need to be reduced. Such mitigation strategies will however take time to deploy, and some emission sources will be difficult to mitigate. Moreover, since current atmospheric levels are already having a major warming effect, negative emission or Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) measures that reduce the amount of GHGs in the atmosphere are an active topic of research.

Inuit hunter traveling by snow scooter on melting sea ice, Pond Inlet, Canada

Sea ice & icebergs

Sea ice albedo modification

Arctic sea ice extent has rapidly decreased over the last few decades, with most multi-year ice disappearing altogether. This has already had major effects on local communities and ecosystems. The disappearance of the relatively reflective sea ice also leads to a dramatic decrease of albedo in the Arctic and subsequent high energy uptakes by the darker water during the Arctic summers.

Polar bear looking for whale cadaver under water, Svalbard

Industry

Direct ocean capture

The majority of the inorganic carbon on Earth is stored in the oceans. There is a natural carbon exchange between the ocean and the land.

Industry

Black carbon reduction

Black Carbon (BC), also known as soot, is produced through the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomaterials. Apart from its negative health impacts, BC also has significant climate effects because it generally has a lower albedo than its surroundings, which increases the amount of radiation absorbed both when BC is present in the atmosphere and when it is deposited on land (Stjern et al. 2017). Due to the large albedo differences, the effects of BC are especially significant in areas that are normally covered in snow or ice (Hadley and Kirchstetter 2012; Sand et al. 2016; Kang et al. 2020).

Industry

Polar chimneys

Some have suggested modifying incoming and outgoing radiation budgets in the Arctic to mitigate the warming in the region.

Shelf-Iceberg, North of Antarctic Peninsula

Ice sheets and glaciers

Ice sheet stabilization via buttressing

One of the potentially most catastrophic effects of contemporary global warming would be the dramatic increase in sea levels as a result of the melting Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. Even if all current emissions were immediately stopped, sea level rise could still occur because of lockedin warming (State of the Cryosphere report 2022).

Sea ice covered Coast in July, Sterlegova, Taymyr, Russia

Sea ice & icebergs

Sea ice thickening

Mountain pine and spruce forest in winter, Hillestadheia, Norway

Atmosphere / solar radiation

Snowfall enhancement

With the exception of some regions like Antarctica, global snowfall amount and frequency have decreased, and the timespan during which snow cover remains has shortened (Zender 2012). This has multiple effects on human and natural systems as it influences widely diverging processes such as reducing surface albedo and changes in the hydrological cycle.