Iceberg management
With rising Arctic temperatures, there have been major changes in iceberg production rates from marine terminating glaciers. These icebergs drift into warmer sea waters where they will slowly melt.
In a series of posts to the Geoengineering Google Group in 2009, Veli Albert Kallio suggested the possibility that 'suspension cabling could hold ice in place and prevent it moving into the warm waters'. These cables would potentially sink or be removable. The original post suggested placing the cables in the Robeson Channel between Canada and Greenland. Several responses remarked it might be worthwhile to look into the use of such cables to reduce the outflow rate of ice in other areas.
Analysis overview
Technological Readiness Level (TRL)
Low 1
Technological Readiness Level (TRL)
A technology with a TRL of 1-3: TRL 1 – Basic; TRL 2 – Concept formulated; TRL 3 – Experimental proof of concept
Scalability
Low 1
Scalability
Physically unable to scale; sub-linear/logarithmic efficiency of scalability
Timeliness for near-future effects
Low 1
Timeliness for near-future effects
Implemented too late to make a significant difference
Northern + Arctic potential
Low 1
Northern + Arctic potential
No noticeable extra positive effect beyond the global average; technology is unsuited to the Arctic
Global potential
Low 1
Global potential
Insignificant to be detected at a global scale
Cost - benefit
Prohibitive 1
Cost - benefit
Cost of investment comparable to cost of avoided damage
Environmental risks
Some risk 2
Environmental risks
More widespread and possibly regional impacts that extend beyond the immediate solution deployment location
Community impacts
Neutral 2
Community impacts
Unnoticeable or negligible positive or negative effects
Ease of reversibility
Easy 3
Risk of termination shock
Low risk 3
Risk of termination shock
Low or insignificant termination shock or damage
Legality/governance
Possible 3
Legality/governance
Currently legal to deploy, with governance structures in place to facilitate it and/or financial incentives to develop it
Scientific/media attention
Low 1
Scientific/media attention
Very low attention from individuals and/or abandoned ideas; low media attention; no commercial interest.
References
Geoengineering Google Group. 2009. Comments. In: Compendium to the University of the Arctic Rapid Response Assessment: Frozen Arctic. Annex. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8408608
