Real Ice

What Real Ice does

Real Ice is a UK-based climate research organization developing and field-testing techniques to preserve and restore Arctic sea ice. The company originated as a 2019 volunteer initiative under The Siku Project and was formally incorporated in the United Kingdom in January 2022, with operational headquarters in Gaerwen, North Wales and primary field activities conducted from the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada.

The company's core offering is the AquaFreezing methodology, a biomimicry approach that pumps seawater from beneath sea ice to the surface during winter months so it freezes into additional ice layers, with snow management used to insulate re-iced areas through summer melt. The technology stack includes a portable PEM hydrogen fuel cell power station (field-validated at -46°C), renewable-energy-powered submersible pumps, SIMBA thermistor-based ice-thickness monitoring, and a roadmap for autonomous underwater vehicles intended for large-scale deployment. Field tests have produced measured outcomes of approximately 30 cm of added ice thickness, around 1,000 tonnes of new ice across a 4,100 m² area in a single test, and a stated 7,522 tCO2e/km²/year offset potential.

Real Ice does not sell products or services and has no commercial pricing model. The organization is funded primarily through research grants — most notably a £10 million award from the UK Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) in 2024 to a consortium led by the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge — supplemented by donations. It serves research institutions, Arctic Indigenous communities (particularly Inuit in Cambridge Bay), government and policy bodies, and environmental NGOs, operating with 1–10 staff and a primarily volunteer-driven model.

Name

Real Ice

Legal name

Real Ice

Website

https://realice.eco

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Real Ice is a UK-based climate research organization developing the AquaFreezing methodology to thicken and restore Arctic sea ice using hydrogen fuel cell-powered pumps, serving research institutions, Inuit communities, and climate policy stakeholders through grant-funded field studies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gaerwen

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Research Grants: Real Ice receives funding through grants from government agencies and research institutions. The primary funding is from ARIA (Advanced Research + Invention Agency) through a consortium led by the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge.
2. Donations: The organization accepts donations to support Arctic ice-thickening scientific research, R&D of the AquaFreezing engineering approach, and community collaboration initiatives.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Real Ice develops and field-tests the AquaFreezing methodology that pumps seawater from beneath sea ice to its surface during winter months using hydrogen fuel cell-powered submersible pumps, encouraging natural ice generation and thickening of approximately 30 cm per test patch. The organization conducts Arctic field research expeditions (Cambridge Bay, Nunavut; earlier Nome, Alaska) in collaboration with academic and Inuit community partners, and disseminates findings as open-source information to advance climate repair science.

Product overview

Real Ice is a UK-based climate research initiative offering Arctic sea ice preservation and restoration services through its AquaFreezing methodology. The core offering consists of a seawater pumping technology system that thickens sea ice during winter months using hydrogen fuel cell powered equipment. Key products include the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Station (a portable PEM fuel cell generator for field operations) and the Water Pumping Technology System (zero-emission pumps for flooding sea ice). Future scaled operations plan to deploy Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) with hydrogen fuel cells to deliver water pumping across remote Arctic regions. The company also conducts field research studies, engages with Arctic communities, and shares scientific findings through open-source information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Station A portable electrical power generator designed and built for Arctic field deployment. Based on a PEM fuel cell that converts hydrogen gas and oxygen from surrounding air into electricity, the system was successfully tested down to -46°C and powers submersible water pumps for sea ice flooding operations.
• Water Pumping Technology System A renewable energy powered system for pumping seawater onto sea ice. Combines water pumping technology with hydrogen fuel cells for zero-emission, scalable sea ice thickening in the Arctic.
• Arctic Sea Ice Preservation and Restoration Services Research and development services focused on preserving and restoring Arctic sea ice through field studies, community collaboration, and scientific research. Includes data collection on ice thickness, snow depth, salinity profiles, and albedo measurements conducted across Cambridge Bay expeditions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30 centimeters of ice added per test patch
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Centre for Climate Repair at University of CambridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead research partner in consortium that secured £10 million ARIA funding. Provides scientific guidance, research infrastructure, and hosts Real Ice's research activities. Dr. Shaun Fitzgerald serves as Director at Centre for Climate Repair.
• University of WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaborator providing expertise in atmospheric sciences and sea ice prediction. Prof. Cecelia Bitz and Prof. Ed Blanchard-Wrigglesworth serve as advisors to Real Ice.
• Arizona State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaborator contributing expertise in climate science and Arctic Ice Management research. Prof. Steve Desch serves as advisor.
• Arctic ReflectionsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch startup and co-research partner in Arctic sea ice thickening field trials. Worked alongside Real Ice in Cambridge Bay expeditions and Svalbard research.
• Ekaluktutiak Hunters & Trappers Organisation (EHTO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal community organization in Cambridge Bay that provides essential guides, tools, and services on the sea ice. Members are part of the core research team. EHTO guides provide critical local knowledge and operational support.
• Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment research station in Cambridge Bay that facilitates Real Ice's research activities, providing facilities and operational support for field studies.
• Ocean VisionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience-based nonprofit that produced a roadmap tracking the state of research across all organizations in Arctic sea ice thickening. Real Ice contributes to Ocean Visions' R&D priorities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• CarbonCapture Inc. Climate technology company building direct air capture systems for atmospheric carbon removal. CarbonCapture Inc. parallels Real Ice as another private company deploying engineered physical infrastructure for climate intervention at scale.
• Make Sunsets: Early-stage climate intervention company deploying stratospheric aerosol injection as a form of solar geoengineering. While targeting a different intervention mechanism (cooling by atmospheric aerosols rather than ice thickening), Make Sunsets is a comparable small private climate-geoengineering company pursuing field deployments of climate intervention technology.
• Heirloom Carbon: Carbon dioxide removal company using enhanced rock weathering and DAC technologies. Heirloom operates as a comparable emerging private player in engineered climate intervention with similar funding-stage and partnership-driven commercialization model.
• Climeworks: Leading direct air capture (DAC) company developing engineered climate intervention technology at industrial scale. While Climeworks addresses carbon removal rather than Arctic sea ice, it is a comparable large-scale private climate geoengineering/carbon management company pursuing physical climate intervention infrastructure backed by similar scientific rigor and grant/equity capital.

Direct peers

• Arctic Reflections: Dutch startup and co-research partner on Arctic sea ice thickening. Arctic Reflections is explicitly named as a partner in Real Ice's Cambridge Bay field trials and in the same ARIA-funded consortium led by the Centre for Climate Repair, working on parallel approaches to sea ice restoration.
• Smart Ice: Organization conducting ongoing ice thickness measurements in Cambridge Bay and collaborating with local residents to support Real Ice's research monitoring phase. Smart Ice works on complementary ice measurement and community-based monitoring technology for the same Arctic sea ice context.

Others

• Ocean Visions: Science-based nonprofit that produced a roadmap tracking the state of research across all organizations in Arctic sea ice thickening — including Real Ice. Ocean Visions is a direct ecosystem coordinator and partner that explicitly maps Real Ice's R&D priorities within the broader ocean climate intervention field.
• SilverLining: Nonprofit dedicated to accelerating research and governance for climate interventions including solar radiation management and carbon removal. SilverLining acts as an adjacent enabling organization working on policy frameworks and research funding pathways that Real Ice's deployment would depend on at scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Real_Ice_Dev_Co
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCufrAzSoABJz2jSWz27x9dw
• Facebookfacebook.com/RealIce.eco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/realice-eco
• Instagraminstagram.com/real_ice.eco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Real Ice