At a Glance

Researchers suggest we can save the Arctic's dwindling sea ice by refreezing it.The study proposes using wind-powered pumps to pump seawater over the surface of the ice.The scientists estimate the project would cost $500 billion.

As dwindling sea ice persists in the Arctic, a team of researchers from Arizona State University has developed a plan to save the ice by freezing it all over again, an undertaking that would cost a whopping $500 billion.

Developed by physicist Steven Desch, the plan involves, according to the study. During the Arctic winter, the pumps would be used to spray seawater over the surface of the ice, where it would freeze and thicken the cap. They would disperse about 4 feet of water throughout the course of the season.

The devices would be deployed over just 10 percent of the Arctic Ocean and could add an extra three feet of sea ice to the current layer, the study also said. The current ice cap rarely exceeds 7 to 10 inches in thickness and is constantly being eroded due to climate change.

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"," Desch told the Observer. "In turn, that would mean the danger of all sea ice disappearing from the Arctic in summer would be reduced significantly."

Though the price is staggering, Desch says it is the kind of outlay that may become necessary if we want to stop the disaster in the Arctic.

"Our only strategy at present seems to be to tell people to stop burning fossil fuels," said Desch. "It’s a good idea but it is going to need a lot more than that to stop the Arctic’s sea ice from disappearing."

Ice extent in the Arctic region set daily lows through most of January, which led to , according to a previous report. If the current level of carbon dioxide output continues, it is likely that the late-summer Arctic will be ice-free as soon as the 2030s, according to the researchers.

A lack of sea ice would also trigger further global warming, as the ice reflects solar radiation back into space. If that covering were to melt, sunlight would be absorbed by theopen ocean.

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The Arctic’s wildlife is also threatened by the disappearance of sea ice.

"Juvenile Arctic cod like to hang out under the sea ice," University College London professor Julienne Stroeve told the Observer. "Polar bears hunt on sea ice and seals give birth on it. We have no idea what will happen when that lot disappears. In addition, there is the problem of increasing numbers of warm spells during which rain falls instead of snow. That rain then freezes on the ground and forms a hard coating that prevents reindeer and caribou from finding food under the snow."

Arctic herders reported the most recent catastrophic rain-on-snow (ROS) event took place in November 2013, when about , according to a previous report. The ROS event killed 61,000 reindeer, about 25 percent of the 275,000 mammals on the Yamal Peninsula in Siberia.

In the study, the researchers said it’s unlikely carbon dioxide levels and mean temperatures will drop in time to prevent losing the sea ice, so artificial restoration is crucial.

"The question is: do I think our project would work?" said Desch. "Yes. I am confident it would. But we do need to put a realistic cost on these things. We cannot keep on just telling people, 'Stop driving your car or it’s the end of the world.' We have to give them alternative options, though equally, we need to price them."

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Devon Island, Canadian Arctic. (© Arctica: The Vanishing North by Sebastian Copeland, published by teNeues, www.teneues.com. Photo © 2015 Sebastian Copeland. All rights reserved.)