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Environment

Floating wood could help us refreeze the Arctic seas

Floating platforms of wood could draw up seawater and help it to freeze, seeding the formation of new sea ice

By Chris Simms

24 March 2025

Sea ice coverage in the Arctic has rapidly declined due to global warming

Arterra Picture Library / Alamy

Modified floating wood could seed the formation of new sea ice in the Arctic, helping counteract the rapid decline of ice coverage due to global warming.

The area of the Arctic Ocean covered by ice is shrinking as the climate warms, and it has been projected that the region will see its first ice-free summer day before 2030. The loss of ice leads to a vicious cycle; because the exposed water is darker than ice, it absorbs more of the sun’s…

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