Today's Article

Andrea Ceccolini, Co-CEO, Real Ice: We were in Alaska with a 5submersible pump. We made a hole in the ice. We pumped water. Within hours it was 6solid frozen. It is as simple as that. 

CNN Anchor: A study says the Arctic could be free of sea ice during the month of September by the 2030s, about a 7decade earlier than previous 8projections. And this would have dire 9ripple effects right around the world. 

Since the 1980s, the amount of sea ice that's more than a year old has 10roughly fallen by half. We're currently losing about six centimeters every year. 

Andrea Ceccolini: So if you re-ice, you can add an extra 70 centimeters of thickness. It's as simple as pumping water on top of existing ice. Basically, you expose the seawater to the cold temperature of the 11atmosphere and it will freeze very, very quickly. We know that works. 

CNN Anchor: UK-based company REALICE plans to use 12automated underwater vehicles powered by 13green hydrogen. They use small pumps to bring water from below the ice to the top, creating a lake that freezes, thickening the 14ice sheet. 

Andrea Ceccolini: Why would we do it from under the water? It seems complicated. In reality, operating underwater is actually making many things simpler and more controlled. If you think the opposite, operating on top of the sea ice in the middle of the Arctic, you're facing very, very cold temperatures, high winds, all sorts of 15precipitations from the sky. 

CNN Anchor: The project is currently in the early testing 16stages. They aim to be working with underwater prototypes in 2024 and are planning to test the re-icing on an Arctic bay in 2027. 

Andrea Ceccolini: This is a 17preservation of a 18habitat exactly like a 19tropical forest or 20coral reef.