Making ice thicker

[Simpo Two]

According to the BBC, some boffins are spraying seawater onto the Arctic ice cap to make it thicker...

Since salt, or any other solute, lowers the melting point of water, won't that melt it?

[Simpo Two]

Bill said:

It's sea ice...

Ah yes, that is true - but the water must be warmer than the ice, so whilst some might freeze on top, overall, you're warming the ice up. I can't see that moving a degree of heat 50 yards is going to do much to save the planet...

[Simpo Two]

Super Sonic said:

If they're spraying it through the air which is well below zero it will freeze before it hits the snow.

Now that would make the ice thicker, yes.

So our next question is 'How many men with hoses and pumps will it take to make the icecap sufficiently bigger to affect the climate?'

[Simpo Two]

CoolHands said:

Idiots, how would they have any idea what this would do to the world’s climate if it even worked? Why have they decided that the ice is ‘too thin’ and what the interaction is with the rest of the climate? It is literally impossible for them to know.

The logic would be: Global warming makes ice caps smaller. Make icecaps bigger = reverse global warming (by reflecting more sunlight/heat).

So I'm going to do my bit by pinning out some Bacofoil in the garden. I mean, if everybody did it we could save the planet.

[Simpo Two]

kerplunk said:

My ice hockey loving relations in british colombia have a weekend cabin by a lake and in winter often spray water onto the already frozen surface to create a better ice skating rink. I don't think there's much danger of melting thick ice when air temps are well below freezing.

Agreed, but that wouldn't that be fresh water?

[Simpo Two]

kerplunk said:

Not sure where we're going with this tbh

Running up a down escalator I think, just like the people in the news story...!