The actual engineering needed may be less than you may imagine, according on early research, said Douglas MacAyeal, a professor of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago.
For instance, it may only take 50 miles of seafloor nets and curtains to have an impact on Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier.
“Our argument is that we should start funding this research now, so that we aren’t making panicked decisions down the road when the water is already lapping at our ankles.
” MacAyeal said, acknowledging that it may take years of more study to determine which, if any, approaches would be most successful.
The experts underlined that such initiatives would need international cooperation. They pointed out that in order to mold and direct the study.
A wide range of stakeholders would need to be included, including sociologists, ecologists, humanists, community leaders, scientific and engineering associations, international treaty agencies, and many more.
