#RestoreTheIce

Mitigating Climate Change with Reflective Sand?

Introducing Ice911, an organization of dedicated engineers with a viable, scalable solution to restore ice in the Arctic, which has lost 80% of its volume since 1979. Founded by MIT & Berkeley alum and inventor with 54 patents, Dr. Leslie Field, we are currently conducting research in the Arctic, using a reflective silica sand spread on top of ice to increase its reflectivity. Reflective ice absorbs less heat and can survive the Arctic summer to become multi-year ice. The base material—silica—was chosen to be as harmless and ubiquitous as possible, and is the main constituent of 95% of rocks on Earth. Climate modeling shows that, by applying the sand in a strategic location of the Arctic, Ice911 can rebuild ice volume, decrease extreme weather, and reduce Arctic and global temperatures.





Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.

Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.

photo of Leslie Field

Leslie Field

Ice911 Research

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