Arctic Ice Project
The Arctic Ice Project is a non-profit organization that aims to slow climate change by restoring ice in the Arctic. It was founded by Dr. Leslie Field in 2008, and is based in Menlo Park, California. The organization was previously known as Ice911. Solution. The Arctic Ice Project's approach is to spread hollow silica microspheres (reflective sand) on top of ice in the Arctic. The microspheres raise the reflecting power of polar ice. This reduces the amount of sunlight absorbed, and slows the melting of the ice. The microspheres are bright white, and each one  is 35 microns in diameter (less than the diameter of a human hair). The microspheres are filled with air and they float. The vision is to cover a strategic area of the Arctic about the size of Belgium with microspheres. Target locations will be near communities that depend on the ice, and routes through which melting ice reaches the wider ocean. The Arctic Ice Project aims to rebuild a natural system with the least possible intervention. The Arctic Ice Project's silica microspheres will dissolve over time. This is a form of “soft geoengineering”. It is claimed to be less  damaging and more reversible than other techniques. Some scientists are concerned about the risks of restoring Arctic ice, as this approach could have unintended consequences. The Arctic Ice Project maintains that its approach will not drastically alter the ecosystem or pollute the environment. Testing and Deployment. Since 2008, the Arctic Ice Project has tested various materials that might provide a protective barrier to the sea ice. Tests were first conducted in laboratories, on a pond in Minnesota, and on lakes in California and Canada. In 2015, the Arctic Ice Project set up its first trial site above the Arctic Circle . In Utqiaġvik, Alaska in 2017 and 2018, the Arctic Ice Project developed and successfully tested an automated deployment method for covering the ice. Founder and CTO. The founder and CTO of the Arctic Ice Project, Dr. Leslie Field, is an inventor with 54 patents. She founded two Microelectromechanical Systems consulting firms, MEMS Insight and SmallTech Consulting. She is the Director of the Center for Climate Restoration’s Polar Restoration Action Group, and a Lecturer at Stanford University. Dr. Field holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering from MIT, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from UC Berkeley  College of Engineering.