Could this be a solution to Global Warming?

Question

I know it sounds stupid and farfetchd but since the ice glaciers are melting, would it be possible to create a freeze ray or a something that could refreeze the melting ice to restore the effects?

Answer 1

It's nice that you are trying to think outside the box, but you really don't have to ask the same question multiple times. Solving large problems certainly does take imagination and inspiration, and it looks like you have that going for you. But it also takes patience.

Here's the answer I posted to your other questions:
Interestingly enough, you could theoretically construct a "ray" that creates an electrical field that solidifies water at room temperature. But it is entirely impractical. You would have to maintain the electrical field indefinitely...or at least until it can solidify normally through thermal energy loss.

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2005PhRvL..95h5701C&db_key=PHY&data_type=HTML&format=&high=42ca922c9c01734

Answer 2

No, it won't work

Currently the state of the art in cooling is to transfer the heat from one location to another using some sort of engine that creates its own heat.

An entropic ray would increase the entropy in an area and therefore reduce the temperature, but entropy is a property of the universe not a force that we can manipulate. Entropy is the property that says the universe will tend to grow more chaotic through waste like friction and loss of heat.

The only rays we can create right now are lasers, a stroke of lightning (electrons) or a form of radiation (x-rays, gamma rays etc.). All of these rays add energy to the system; they don't take any energy out.

Cold is actually the lack of energy and any ray you would design would only add energy to the system, defeating its purpose. If you could design a way to suck out the molecular energy then you would have a cold ray, but there is no process that does that. The only way we can transfer energy would be to conduct it, to find a way to transfer or pull it. The problem is that due to the inefficiencies of a system; entropy you would need more energy to do the job. The creation of more energy would create more heat. In the end any ray that you could create would just move heat from one place to another while creating more heat in the process. Since the earth is a closed system all that heat would remain and disperse into the environment.

Air Conditioners and freezers only work by transferring the heat, and thanks to the pump required they end up creating more heat, just in a different location. Cooling is inefficient, it would be better to not allow the heat into the system in the first place (glenn c would just add heat to the earth as binaryloop explained).

One idea used to protect glaciers is to cover them with fabric. It was used in Europe to try and protect a ski slope, but the cost of the fabric and the manpower required made it a very poor way to protect the environment. Plus we can’t cover all of the North and South Pole and the island of Greenland with Mylar sheets to try and reflect the sunlight. Wind, rain, natural wear and tear, the action of animals and other things would destroy the sheets. The creation of the sheets could only be done in a process that produces more heat and the manpower required to lay all that down would be huge. In the end it would be a futile task.

That’s why scientists are looking at ways to make the atmosphere more transparent, to heat; removing the carbon dioxide.

Answer 3

The energy needed to power the freeze ray would probably produce more warming than it would offset. Maybe there are better ways to reduce global warming? If all of us started to be aware and reduce the amount of oil we consume (directly and indirectly) -- it would give the glaciers and the environment a chance while we continue to develop a better freeze ray. I guess all I'm saying is that it would be great to have a future technology to help us fix the problem in the long-term but, there are things that we can start doing right now that make a huge difference.

Answer 4

Unfortunately, physics says you can't get something for nothing.
So the freeze ray might refreeze the ice, but an equivalent amount of energy of the heat that was removed to refreeze the ice would have to go somewhere.
Freezing isn't really "make cold" as it is "remove heat".
So the removed heat has to remain on Earth.

Its like trying to cool off the house by opening the fridge door. Cool air comes out, but the fridge motor has to work harder to remove heat from the environment and that means either more heat coming from the motor and/or more electricity being used (which also produces heat).

Answer 5

how about making loads of ice cubes and keep them in the freezer, maybe if we all did this we could aviod the rise in sea levels.lol.

Answer 6

well, yes. if it works, then that's good. i feel you, you have ideas on how to save the world from further damage due to global warming. but don't give up.

Answer 7

See if Batman didn't kill Mr. Freeze...things coulda been just fine.

Answer 8

good thinking, keep it up, we need thoughts like yours

Answer 9

never know what people will come up with.