Geoengineering Curtain Cannot Prevent Retreat of Fast-flowing Greenland Glacier

Communications Earth and Environment, 7 March 2025

Geo-engineering efforts to add an underwater “curtain” to the fjord of one of Greenland’s largest glaciers would not prevent further retreat under even a low emissions scenario, and comes with a plethora of economic and cultural concerns from local Indigenous Peoples. Previous hypotheses suggested that a curtain or barrier to block warm ocean water could prevent the retreat of the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier. This study reveals that a curtain would not be effective on melt rates, and instead lead to deleterious effects for surrounding communities and ecosystems. This ineffectiveness in halting the glacier’s retreat held under all warming scenarios. Even simulating a return to 1990s atmospheric temperatures, combined with the barrier, would not stabilize Sermeq Kujalleq. The study also documented that local Indigenous communities who rely on those waters and ecosystems felt such a barrier would harm their traditional way of life and economic activities, where fishing and hunting play an important role.

Full paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02120-8