Climate change is melting the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. A recent swell in warm ocean water on the western side of the continent is eating away at two predominant glaciers, Pine Island Glacier and Thwaites Glacier. And the retreating glaciers mean the entire larger ice sheet could disintegrate, leading to a 10-foot rise in sea level around the world. This surge in water levels imperils major coastal metropolises from New York City to Tokyo.
Now researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research are proposing an utterly extreme approach to this extreme problem. They say humanity could convert massive quantities of ocean water into artificial snow to save the icy continent. The feat would require “an unprecedented effort for humankind in one of the harshest environments on the planet,” the team writes Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.
“The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is one of the tipping elements ...
