The Russian civil engineering operations would be a good place to start. I expect there were some calculations, which may still be available.
Various blasts were conducted, providing real world case studies. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peaceful_nuclear_explosion Large earth moving operations have similarly been conducted in the South China Sea, using non-nuclear technologies http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5047041/Beijing-s-giant-island-building-machine-South-China-Sea.html Andrew Lockley On Thu, 2 Aug 2018, 10:03 Ken Caldeira, <kcalde...@gmail.com> wrote: > Andrew, > > At this point we are looking for actual geomechanical analysis with > numbers. > > Piling speculation upon speculation is not helpful. > > Best, > Ken > > On Wed, Aug 1, 2018, 08:28 Andrew Lockley <andrew.lock...@gmail.com> > wrote: > >> Large explosive charges, tens or hundreds of metres beneath the sea bed, >> would create a crater with an elevated ring of debris. This ring would tend >> to jam ice in an otherwise smooth sea bed, if it was tall enough to >> protrude into the surface waters. >> >> I understand that the Russians had a significant, although experimental, >> programme of civil engineering using nuclear explosives in the early cold >> War. >> >> Andrew >> >> On Wed, 1 Aug 2018, 07:18 Ken Caldeira, <kcalde...@carnegiescience.edu> >> wrote: >> >>> Below is what I wrote to a writer for the Atlantic, Robinson Meyer: >>> https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/01/a-new-geo-engineering-proposal-to-stop-sea-level-rise/550214/ >>> >>> What got into the piece was: >>> >>> Ken Caldeira, a climate scientist at the Carnegie Institution for >>> Science, said that he would want to hear from engineers before investing >>> further in a seafloor plan. “Without some numbers and some consultation >>> with engineers, it is just a modeling thought experiment,” he said in an >>> email. “I do not have the expertise to evaluate this proposal, but I am >>> quite skeptical.” >>> >>> >>> Ken Caldeira <kcalde...@carnegiescience.edu> >>> Tue, Jan 2, 4:56 PM >>> to Robinson >>> Hi, my initial reaction would be to say that an engineering feat at a >>> scale likely to have a substantial effect on global sea level would be >>> impractical in the real world, but I am saying that without having access >>> to any real numbers. >>> >>> Has the postdoc calculated what pressures the glaciers would be imposing >>> on the sill and what kind of engineered structure would be able to >>> withstand those pressures? >>> >>> Does the postdoc have estimates of the size (height x width) of the >>> artificial sills, and how much sea level rise sills of those scales >>> would be expected to forestall? >>> >>> Without some numbers and some consultation with engineers, it is just a >>> modeling thought experiment. >>> >>> --- >>> >>> One could also imagine, for example, some system to prevent sea-ice from >>> spreading away from the poles towards equators (perhaps a systems of cables >>> or something?). >>> >>> Sea-ice forms closer to the poles and then blows equatorward where it >>> tends to melt. Perhaps sea ice could be maintained by mechanically >>> preventing it from being transported equatorward. One could do a simulation >>> in a climate model and show that this would likely help preserve sea ice, >>> but if there is no real engineering system that could effect this at a >>> conceivable cost, then it is just a modeling thought experiment. >>> >>> Best, >>> Ken >>> >>> Ken Caldeira <kcalde...@carnegiescience.edu> >>> Mon, Jan 8, 8:09 PM >>> to Robinson >>> Robinson, >>> >>> I think you need to talk to people who know about ice sheets, people who >>> know something about material properties of "aggregate material", and >>> people who know something about building structures underwater. >>> >>> I am none of these and so unable to give this any kind of sensible >>> evaluation. >>> >>> Glaciers regularly plow a great deal of material ahead of them, and >>> mountain glaciers routine carve wide swaths through solid rock. >>> >>> My guess is that the stresses that the ice sheet would impose on a bunch >>> of aggregate would be so large the ice sheet would plow right through >>> it but I am not expert on such mechanical properties. >>> >>> I do not have the expertise to evaluate this proposal, but I am quite >>> skeptical. >>> >>> Best, >>> Ken >>> >>> >>> *Ken Caldeira* >>> *Carnegie Institution for Science* >>> Dept of Global Ecology / Carnegie Energy Innovation >>> 260 Panama St, >>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=260+Panama+St,%C2%A0+Stanford+CA+94305+USA+%2B1+650&entry=gmail&source=g>Stanford >>> CA 94305 USA >>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=260+Panama+St,%C2%A0+Stanford+CA+94305+USA+%2B1+650&entry=gmail&source=g> >>> +1 650 >>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=260+Panama+St,%C2%A0+Stanford+CA+94305+USA+%2B1+650&entry=gmail&source=g> >>> 704 7212 kcalde...@carnegiescience.edu >>> http://CarnegieEnergyInnovation.org >>> http://dge.stanford.edu/labs/caldeiralab >>> <http://dge.stanford.edu/labs/caldeiralab> >>> >>> Assistant, with access to incoming emails: Jess Barker >>> jbar...@carnegiescience.edu >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On Wed, Aug 1, 2018 at 12:37 AM Veli Albert Kallio < >>> albert_kal...@hotmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> * Our Changing Climate in Action: the Risk of Global Warming and the >>>> Environmental Damage from the Rising Ocean Water Table | Sustainable Seas >>>> Enquiry | Written evidence submitted by Veli Albert Kallio, FRGS (SSI0121) >>>> | Ordered to be published 23 May 2018 by the House of Commons. * >>>> *Abstract:* >>>> >>>> Recently NATURE published a discussion on construction of sills in >>>> attempt to prevent or slow melting glaciers that are discharging ice into >>>> the ice fjords. Several further papers promptly followed publication of >>>> this essentially erroneous article in a respected NATURE magazine. Here it >>>> is pointed out that there is a discrepancy of several magnitudes thus >>>> excluding a long-term viability to manage the edges of ice fjords or >>>> continental ice shelves/sheets due to a phenomenon known as the >>>> mega-erratics. These are blocks of hard rocks that are several kilometres >>>> in size that have been dislocated by a warmed and wet edges of glacier/ice >>>> sheet/ice shelf. This Parliament evidence points out the error that was not >>>> apparent to the peer-reviewers at the time and in subsequent papers that >>>> followed. The Parliament was shown evidence that large enough obstacles >>>> cannot be possibly made to prevent ice discharges due to a progression of >>>> melting, that softens and lubricates glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets. The >>>> forces unleashed by the ice front exceeds several magnitudes from the >>>> conceived objects that sills were proposed. The only, and very only effect >>>> is temporary and limited to prevention of warm water incursion where these >>>> methods will work for a while in a cold, dry, and relatively stable ice >>>> formations. A long-term projections suggested to prevent warmed and >>>> water-infested glaciers from discharging ice into the ocean cannot be made >>>> as the forces of ice exceed many magnitudes of the sills and levies that >>>> can be made of concrete blocks, aggregates or other materials. Thus the >>>> prevention of sea level rise by this method for centuries or millennia is >>>> not functional one and thus the mitigation and prevention of rubbish gyros >>>> in ocean, the supply of housing, nuclear and food production security must >>>> be looked at as solution by the ocean littoral states. Several examples of >>>> various types of risk to the sustainability of oceans have been presented >>>> in addition to the above exposed misconception. This comes with much regret >>>> as it appears that one 'hoped-for-solution' to manage the future climate >>>> change impacts has largely foundered on the issue that the sills cannot be >>>> made strong enough to contain most important, warmed glaciers or edges of >>>> unstable ice shelves. However, for a short-term this may offer small-scale >>>> solutions provided that costs remain sufficiently small. Aggressively >>>> melting ice formations with darkened surfaces, wide spread melt water >>>> ponds, or water filled crevasses it does not offer much, if any, prolonged >>>> ice stability. (The document is best viewed as a .pdf file due to the >>>> lay-out of graph and legends.) >>>> >>>> >>>> https://www.academia.edu/37157851/Our_Changing_Climate_in_Action_the_Risk_of_Global_Warming_and_the_Environmental_Damage_from_the_Rising_Ocean_Water_Table_Sustainable_Seas_Enquiry_Written_evidence_submitted_by_Veli_Albert_Kallio_FRGS_SSI0121_Ordered_to_be_published_23_May_2018_by_the_House_of_Commons >>>> >>>> <https://www.academia.edu/37157851/Our_Changing_Climate_in_Action_the_Risk_of_Global_Warming_and_the_Environmental_Damage_from_the_Rising_Ocean_Water_Table_Sustainable_Seas_Enquiry_Written_evidence_submitted_by_Veli_Albert_Kallio_FRGS_SSI0121_Ordered_to_be_published_23_May_2018_by_the_House_of_Commons> >>>> Our Changing Climate in Action: the Risk of Global Warming and the >>>> Environmental Damage from the Rising Ocean Water Table | Sustainable Seas >>>> Enquiry | Written evidence submitted by Veli Albert Kallio, FRGS (SSI0121) >>>> | Ordered to be published 23 May >>>> <https://www.academia.edu/37157851/Our_Changing_Climate_in_Action_the_Risk_of_Global_Warming_and_the_Environmental_Damage_from_the_Rising_Ocean_Water_Table_Sustainable_Seas_Enquiry_Written_evidence_submitted_by_Veli_Albert_Kallio_FRGS_SSI0121_Ordered_to_be_published_23_May_2018_by_the_House_of_Commons> >>>> Recently NATURE published a discussion on construction of sills in >>>> attempt to prevent or slow melting glaciers that are discharging ice into >>>> the ice fjords. Several further papers promptly followed publication of >>>> this essentially erroneous article in >>>> www.academia.edu >>>> >>>> >>>> ------------------------------ >>>> *From:* geoengineering@googlegroups.com < >>>> geoengineering@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Andrew Lockley < >>>> andrew.lock...@gmail.com> >>>> *Sent:* 27 July 2018 10:08 >>>> *To:* geoengineering >>>> *Subject:* [geo] Stopping the Flood: Could We Use Targeted >>>> Geoengineering to Mitigate Sea Level Rise? >>>> >>>> Stopping the Flood: Could We Use Targeted Geoengineering to >>>> Mitigate Sea Level Rise? >>>> Michael J. Wolovick1 >>>> and John C. Moore2,3 >>>> 1Atmosphere and Ocean Sciences Program, Department of Geosciences, >>>> Princeton University, GFDL, 201 Forrestal Road, >>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=201+Forrestal+Road,+%0D%0A+Princeton,+NJ+08540,+USA&entry=gmail&source=g> >>>> Princeton, NJ 08540, USA >>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=201+Forrestal+Road,+%0D%0A+Princeton,+NJ+08540,+USA&entry=gmail&source=g> >>>> >>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=201+Forrestal+Road,+%0D%0A+Princeton,+NJ+08540,+USA&entry=gmail&source=g> >>>> 2College of Global Change and Earth System Science, Beijing Normal >>>> University, Beijing, China >>>> 3Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Finland >>>> Correspondence: M.J. Wolovick (wolov...@princeton.edu) >>>> Abstract. The Marine Ice Sheet Instability (MISI) is a dynamic feedback >>>> that can cause an ice sheet to enter a runaway collapse. >>>> Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica, is the largest individual source of >>>> future sea level rise and may have already entered the >>>> MISI. Here, we use a suite of coupled ice–ocean flowband simulations to >>>> explore whether targeted geoengineering using an >>>> artificial sill or artificial ice rises could counter a collapse. >>>> Successful interventions occur when the floating ice shelf regrounds >>>> 5 on the pinning points, increasing buttressing and reducing ice flux >>>> across the grounding line. Regrounding is more likely with a >>>> continuous sill that is able to block warm water transport to the >>>> grounding line. The smallest design we consider is comparable >>>> in scale to existing civil engineering projects but has only a 30% >>>> success rate, while larger designs are more effective. There >>>> are multiple possible routes forward to improve upon the designs that >>>> we considered, and with decades or more to research >>>> designs it is plausible that the scientific community could come up >>>> with a plan that was both effective and achievable. While >>>> 10 reducing emissions remains the short-term priority for minimizing >>>> the effects of climate change, in the long run humanity may >>>> need to develop contingency plans to deal with an ice sheet collapse. >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "geoengineering" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>> an email to geoengineering+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>>> To post to this group, send email to geoengineering@googlegroups.com. >>>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering. >>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "geoengineering" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>> an email to geoengineering+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>>> To post to this group, send email to geoengineering@googlegroups.com. >>>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering. >>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "geoengineering" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to geoengineering+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>> To post to this group, send email to geoengineering@googlegroups.com. >>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. 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