Raise walls to contain glaciers

It was considered an alternative to preserve them. But new research advisely to use geoyngenier to contain the thaw of glaciers that flow into the sea. It was expected that mitigate the harmful effects of climate warming. However, lifting walls to contain glaciers has several risks.

The warm water that flows to the fjords and under the ice platforms will melt glaciers as temperatures increase. This melting, in turn, will contribute to the increase in sea level and floods in coastal areas.

Raising walls to contain glaciers is a proposal of risky geoengineering.

Ecosystems problems

A proposal to counteract this effect is to build barriers in the ocean. It was intended to prevent hot water from reaching glaciers. For example, some scientists have proposed to place a floating steel curtain or a submarine rock wall. It would be done around parts of the Greenland ice layer to limit the entry of warm currents that melt the ice.

Such barriers would be difficult to build and its effectiveness is not clear. This is what Mark Hopwood and his colleagues indicate in a recent comment in AG ADVANCES. They study the possible effects of this method in the greatest glacier of Greenland, Sermeq Kujalleq.

Raising walls to contain glaciers would bring inconveniences for marine ecosystems. They would interrupt the process by which glacial runoff extracts water rich in nutrients from oceanic depths. This alteration, in turn, would reduce phytoplankton levels near the surface and fish populations that depend on it. It would ultimately affect the Greenlanders who depend on these fish for their livelihood.

The walls could also alter the migratory patterns of the fish, which would aggravate the problem. It is unlikely that the side effects of submarine walls are socially acceptable. They suggest that the walls built to protect Antarctic glaciers would have similar effects on local ecosystems.

It would be used to block warm currents that undermine glaciers.

Geoingeniería

It is true that the barriers to the protection of glaciers are hypothetical and unrealistic at this time. But the interest in geoyngeniery continues to increase. It is important to keep in mind the unforeseen consequences of these projects.

Some suggest real tests to evaluate real results. However, before seriously considering these techniques, it is crucial for scientists to talk with local stakeholders. Only in this way would they understand how possible compensation could affect their lives and livelihoods.