In this post, I hinted at the possibly of making new sea ice to keep thermohaline circulation and the world’s ocean currents running. Can it be done? Scientists seem to think so, but it will call for some serious cash! Billions of dollars to make few measly ice cubes? Well, it’s not really a few measly ice cubes we’re talking about, but enough to cover a large part of the Arctic Ocean! How can we do it? It turns out that sheer number and some high-tech engineering hold the key to this puzzle. An army of thousands of ice-making barges will need to work fulltime at making ice for over six months (from autumn to spring). But wouldn’t this ice just melt as well? A good question. And the answer is yes, but this isn’t your every day ice that scientist will be making; it will be super salty ice. And from the previous blog post, you know that the saltier the water, the denser it is, so it sinks and displaces other water, keeping the current running. This is just what scientists are hoping will happen, but of course they have to make enough ice to make their dream a reality!

Right now, scientists think they can increase thermohaline circulation by about 6%, but is this enough to keep the Gulf Stream running? If current measurements are right, it has already slowed down by 30%! Can these ice barges keep Europe from heading into a big deep freeze? Only time can tell. But by then, scientists will probably have a few more solutions up the sleeves of their lab coats… I hope!