A Team of Chinese Scientists Conducts Field Tests on Material to Protect Eternal Ice

A team of Chinese scientists have conducted the first field tests of a material they have created that reflects sunlight back into the atmosphere to protect eternal ice from melting.

The Field Tests

Scientists led by Associate Professor of Nanjing University Zhou Ping applied a special strip of 400 square meters reflecting the rays on a melting layer of ice Dagu in the Tibetan region of Ngawa Qiang Autonomous Province in southwest China at an altitude of 4.8 km above sea level sun into the atmosphere to protect it from a layer of snow and ice.

A Solution to Climate Change Effects

“This is a very good solution to combat the effects of climate change,” says Matthias Hasen, professor of glaciology at the Swiss University of Zurich.

Advanced Technological Methods

The idea of placing a reflective coating on the ice cover is not new. White sheets have been used to protect ice from melting for 20 years. However, Chinese scientists are making methods of combating warming more technologically advanced.

Test Results for the New Material

Test results for the new material showed that it reflects 93 percent of the sun’s rays back into the atmosphere. This material is made from cellulose acetate, a natural fiber derived from plants, to reduce environmental impact. This substance can also be used as a spray to spray hard-to-reach places using drones.

Ongoing Experiments and Future Plans

Previous studies have shown that coating the surface of patches of ice with special materials can reduce its melting by 50-70 percent. These experiments are still ongoing, as scientists are expected to return in September for lifting, close the film, and record new measurements to evaluate the new technology. The scientists also took water samples from the melting ice to study the effect of the substance on the environment.

Future Prospects

This study will last 3-5 years, after which scientists will decide whether this technology can be used in other regions of China or abroad.

Source

Source: TASS