Energy Considerations for Lifting the Greenland Ice-Melt from the Earth's Gravitational Well

TL;DR

This paper explores the theoretical energy required to lift Greenland's entire ice melt into space, finding it equals the Earth's intercepted solar energy over 32 years, highlighting the immense energy scale involved.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical calculation of the minimum energy needed to remove Greenland's ice melt by lifting it into space, a novel approach to climate change mitigation.

Findings

Energy needed equals Earth's solar energy intake over 32 years

Lifting Greenland's melt into space requires enormous energy

Theoretical minimum work is calculated based on physical principles

Abstract

Climatologists have calculated that a complete melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet would cause global sea levels to rise by some 7.2 meters (23.6 feet). This article investigates the possibility of physically removing this excess water from the surface of the Earth by lifting the water into space. The theoretical minimum amount of work for this task is calculated, and is found to be equal to the amount of solar energy intercepted by the Earth in just 32 years.