Slowing Down the Melt

BY ANDREAS BJÖRKMAN PHOTO OSKAR KIHLBORG

COVERING GLACIERS WITH large tarpaulins to prevent melting has been done in several places in the world before. But doing so with a blanket of wool was something that had never been tested when adventurer Oskar Kihlborg, glaciologist Erik Huss and their team first tried it in the summer of 2021. The location was Sweden’s southernmost glacier, Helags. The blanket was small - just 40 square meters - and served as a test.

“After just one month, the wool blanket had prevented two meters of melting. We were very surprised at how well it worked,” says Oskar Kihlborg.

The world’s glaciers are melting faster than ever, and there is no way to slow down this process on a large scale with, for example, something like wool blankets. But the successful test had another main purpose, namely to raise the issue to the broader public. The wool blanket has become a successful communication concept for Oskar Kihlborg and his team, and the project has been featured in several major media outlets.

“We know that this will not save the world’s glaciers, but it is important to highlight what is happening in our local area due to climate change.”

In April 2023, a new blanket of wool was laid, which will last until September. This time, four hundred square meters of Björling’s glacier near Kebnekaise, Sweden’s highest mountain, will be covered. The idea is that it can be reused several times, and it does not emit plastic particles as ordinary tarpaulins risk doing.

”We have used Swedish wool, without additives, which would otherwise have been burned or buried,” explains Oskar Kihlborg.