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Icecaps and glaciers are melting really badly. Let's preserve them by stitching together all of those mylar survival blankets ever made and putting the giant quilt over the poles. The earth's albedo goes up, melting slows down and... presto! Planet's safe for progeny.
Pitzal Glacier
http://www.canary-p...itzal_austria2.html
photo of part of the (fleece, apparently) cover [imaginality, Sep 09 2006]
Talk to Christo
http://www.christoj...rappedCoast/wc3.jpg
He seems to like wrapping big things up. Though he also likes to have zero impact on the environment, so he'll probably want to take it all down two weeks later. [DrCurry, Sep 10 2006]
[link]
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So, um, we'll keep the ice caps from melting by putting a giant quilt on to keep them warm at night...? |
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Surely quilts only keep you warm if you're a heat source, [DrCurry]? If you're an ice block, they keep you cold. Please reassure me that you knew that, or I'll worry. |
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...and Mylarcheaology is born. |
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Pertinax, do you mean a heat source like the earth? |
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How's that again? The albedo goes up by putting mylar over snow? |
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Well, mylar is nearly 100% reflective, wheras snow is... well, you're right, nearly 100% reflective. |
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They've been trying this recently in the [Austrian?] Alps, on the Pitzal Glacier, with some success, apparently. (National Geographic, Feb 2006) Sorry, couldn't find a link. |
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Presumably the mylar would reflect the sunlight before it hit the main mass of snow, penetrating a few inches, and slightly warming that section of the snowfield... |
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How exactly do we get the mylar above newly fallen snow though? |
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//Well, mylar is nearly 100% reflective//
Actually no, unless it's aluminized. |
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Ha! I read this as "mylar salivation." |
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D'oh! You got me, [jmvw] ;) |
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