Q1. What local and global benefits does Real Ice anticipate?

A. Our preliminary field tests demonstrated that flooding sea ice effectively increased thickness and brightness, as well as delaying summer melt.

We would therefore expect local benefits of increased periods of safe travel on the ice, alongside greater food security as traditionally hunted ice-dependent species remain accessible.

Extending the seasonal duration and extent of thicker ice would maintain vital habitat for an unique ecosystem including micro-organisms, plankton, fish, seabirds, polar bears, walruses, and at least six species of seals, which are essential to biodiversity.

However, ecosystem and community outcomes are dependent on the success of our research and the results of ecological impact assessments, which would take a number of years to establish.

Additionally, initial research findings point to potential global benefits including slowing atmospheric and ocean warming, yet further field tests are needed to confirm that albedo increases with our methodology and that it can efficiently scale to a much larger geographic area.

Q2. How will success be monitored?

A. A key measure of our success is the level of active engagement in our research from local communities.

We want to have traditional knowledge at the centre of our decision-making process as we recognise this collaboration is essential to understanding local sea ice dynamics and wildlife distributions, which is crucial to ensuring we are not interrupting activities.

Support from Arctic communities would ensure that any future development of a targeted system is more effectively tailored to the needs of the region's key stakeholders.