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The bold idea is centered on the construction of "extremely simple structures, simply piles of aggregates at the bottom of the oceans, although more advanced structures can certainly be explored in the future," said the authors of the report, Michael Wolovick, a researcher in the Department of Geosciences. at Princeton University and John Moore, professor of climate change at the University of Lapland in Finland.
"If reducing emissions remains the short-term priority for minimizing the effects of climate change, in the long run mankind may need to develop contingency plans to deal with a collapse of the ice sheet," he said. they added.
Wolovick and Moore, who used computer models to assess the likely impact of walls on Thwaites Glacier erosion in Antarctica, one of the largest in the world, hoped to test the effectiveness of a "locally targeted intervention."
They argued that the simplest designs would allow a direct comparison with existing engineering projects.
"The simplest design we have considered would be comparable to the largest civil engineering projects humanity has ever undertaken," they said. "An intervention on an ice cap would be today at the limit of human capacities."
For example, the construction of four insulated walls would require between 0.1 and 1.5 km3 of material.
"This is comparable to the 0.1 km3 that was used to create Palm Jumeirah in Dubai ($ 12 billion) … (and) 0.3 km3 to create the Hong Kong International Airport ($ 20 billion). dollars), "says the report.
The authors conceded that the work would be located in a much harsher environment than those in which these projects were built, and their results suggest that it would have only a 30% chance of success.
However, the report indicates that the scientific community could work to develop a plan that is both feasible and highly likely.
"We believe that geoengineering glaciers … could delay ice penetration in Greenland and Antarctica for centuries, buying time to fight global warming," Moore wrote earlier this year.
While the eastern Antarctic ice sheet is gaining mass due to increased precipitation, it is far from the same as recorded in the West, according to the Climate Institute.
One wonders how much it will melt in the future. Scientific projections for sea level rise by 2100 range from 30 centimeters (1 foot) to more than 200 centimeters (7 feet).
According to the report, the Thwaites Glacier, which could be the single largest source of sea level rise, could increase the global sea level by three meters.
The study acknowledges that much work remains to be done, particularly with regard to the impact of such projects on marine life.
"We understand the reluctance to interfere with glaciers – as glaciologists, we know the immaculate beauty of these places, but we have also found ourselves on ice platforms that are now open," Moore writes.
"If the world does not do anything, the ice sheets will continue to decrease and the losses will accelerate."
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