About

Why Arctic sea ice?

Arctic sea ice is a critical component of the global climate system because of its contributions to Earth’s reflectivity (albedo) and potential influence on global weather patterns. It is also one of the fastest changing systems on the planet due to anthropogenic climate change. The significant loss of summer sea ice to date has already had profound impacts on the Arctic region, its ecosystems and people, the global climate system, and the broader ocean. For this reason, it is the first ecosystem that Ocean Visions is focusing on within our Repair program – devoted to responsible research on ideas to prolong the health of critical marine ecosystems.

Is there anything we can do about it?

The only permanent way to stop the loss of Arctic sea ice, and ultimately allow it to rebuild, is to reduce global temperatures. This means drastically cutting emissions of greenhouse gases and also cleaning up and removing the legacy greenhouse gases built up in our atmosphere and oceans. Unfortunately, the best available science indicates that almost all scenarios of rapid decarbonization combined with large-scale carbon dioxide removal are still unlikely to cool the planet in time to prevent further loss of Arctic sea ice. Given the enormity of the risks associated with continued loss of sea ice, Ocean Visions believes it is necessary to responsibly investigate all possible ideas that may be able to help forestall dangerous losses.

What types of ideas are being considered?

In addition to urgent work on decarbonization and removal of legacy pollution, there are a number of ideas that have been proposed as ways to potentially prolong the health of Arctic sea ice. These include such things as marine cloud brightening, sea ice thickening, black carbon emissions reductions, and other concepts. It is important to note that most of these ideas are as yet largely untested.

What is Ocean Visions’ role?

To better understand current knowledge about these pathways, such as their potential efficacy, the impacts or risks they may have, and what social and governance considerations could affect decision-making around each pathway, Ocean Visions undertook a deep assessment of all available information about the potential approaches.

The resulting set of road maps details the current state and potential of all relevant technology pathways; their social and environmental risks and co-benefits; policy and governance considerations; and the knowledge gaps that need attention to further evaluate the approaches. The maps identify a set of first-order priorities for additional research, development, and potential testing.

Who is involved?

Advisory Board

An international Advisory Board comprised of 11 individuals from 6 countries helped guide Ocean Vision’s road map on Arctic Sea Ice. The Advisory Board met regularly to help Ocean Visions develop the content of the road map, identify critical areas of inquiry, and to ensure that the road map is inclusive of considerations specific to the Arctic region and its communities. Their perspectives and expertise span different disciplines, backgrounds, and experiences. The members of the Advisory Board include:

• Cecilia Bitz, Ph.D., University of Washington, USA
• Dan Bodansky, Ph.D., Arizona State University, USA
• Henrieka Detlef, Ph.D., Aarhus University, Denmark
• Michael Diamond, Ph.D., Florida State University, USA
• Viktor Jaakola, Operaatio Arktis, Finland
• Uula Jouste, Operaatio Arktis, Finland
• Brendan Kelly, Ph.D., University of Alaska, Studies of Environmental Arctic Change, USA
• Lisa Miller, Ph.D., Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canada
• Lars Smedsrud, Ph.D., University of Bergen, Norway
• Shuchi Talati, Ph.D., The Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering, USA
• Albert van Wijngaarden, University of the Arctic and Cambridge University, UK

In developing this content, Ocean Visions also engaged with additional experts and stakeholders from a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives and is grateful for their meaningful contributions to each step of the process.

Road map contributors

In addition, Ocean Visions connected with >100 individuals and organizations from 13 different countries throughout the development of the road map content. Ocean Visions also held events at conferences as well as virtual webinars soliciting input for the road map. Once a full draft of the road map was available, it was shared with over 200 people with the opportunity to provide feedback. A subset of people provided feedback, which was then incorporated into this interactive version.

The road map is a living document that can be continuously updated as new information becomes available. If you would like to contribute to the road map, you can become a contributor or submit comments or content suggestions.