Arctic Reflections

What Arctic Reflections does

Arctic Reflections B.V. is a Delft-based, privately held climate-restoration enterprise founded in 2023 by Dr. Fonger Ypma (CEO) and Tom Meijeraan (COO). The company researches and field-tests a sea-ice thickening method in which seawater is pumped from beneath existing Arctic sea ice onto the surface, where it freezes rapidly in extreme cold to build thicker, more melt-resilient ice that continues reflecting solar radiation deeper into summer. The operational core is a single methodology — the Arctic Ice Thickening Method — supported by a measurement stack (thermistor chains, drone aerial mapping co-designed with UCL, ice coring) and a hardware stack (trailer-based pumping/augering systems developed with TWD, Metazet, Hefcom, and EMV). Adjacent research lines include ice-arch reinforcement in the Nares Strait (with Manchester, UCL, NERSC) and autonomous pumping platform design drawing on space-rover mobility concepts.

The company has executed three Arctic field tests — Svalbard, Norway (April 2024), Newfoundland, Canada (early 2025), and Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut (February-March 2026) — scaling operations from under 1 hectare to approximately 17 hectares and demonstrating per-test thickening of roughly 25-35 cm. It does not sell a commercial product; revenue (in the sense of grant and philanthropic inflow) comes from research grants and public funding, including a €350,000 UNIIQ pre-seed (January 2024), an undisclosed CarbonFix grant (October 2023), and participation in a £9.9 million ARIA Exploring Climate Cooling consortium led by the Cambridge Centre for Climate Repair (announced 2025). Institutional positioning is reinforced by selection to lead the UN Ocean Decade's Arctic Sea Ice Restoration Project under the GEOS programme and by partnerships with Cambridge, Manchester, UCL, NERSC, the Universities of Washington and Arizona State, UNIS, CHARS, and Inuit communities under FPIC/IQ engagement protocols. The customer base, in any commercial sense, is effectively the global climate system and the funders supporting its restoration.

Name

Arctic Reflections

Legal name

Arctic Reflections B.V.

Website

https://arcticreflections.earth

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Arctic Reflections is a Delft-based climate enterprise developing seawater-pumping technology to thicken Arctic sea ice and slow its summer melt. It operates pre-commercially via research grants, conducting field tests in the Arctic in partnership with universities, research stations, and Inuit communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Restoration Research

akta.pro primary industry

Remote Sensing & Geospatial MRV (Satellite, Aerial, LiDAR, SAR) (EUABACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ice Pilots (Arctic/Seasonal Ice Navigation) (TLAHAGAE)

Keywords

• Arctic sea ice restoration
• Climate intervention research
• Sea ice thickening
• Arctic field research
• Climate cooling research

Headquarters

HQ city

Delft

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Public Funding: Arctic Reflections is primarily funded through research grants and public funding from governmental and intergovernmental bodies. This includes ARIA (UK Advanced Research and Invention Agency), UNIIQ, CarbonFix, and other institutional funders. The organization explicitly states it is a social enterprise funded by a combination of philanthropic funding and governmental funding, with no commercial product revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Arctic Reflections provides research and field-testing services for restoring Arctic sea ice through its proprietary seawater-pumping thickening method. The company operates end-to-end research engagements—including site selection, drilling, pumping, ice monitoring, drone surveying, and scientific validation—funded by institutional grants and philanthropic capital rather than commercial product sales. Field operations have scaled from under one hectare in Svalbard (2024) to roughly 17 hectares in Nunavut (2026), achieving 25–35 cm of average ice thickening per test.

Product overview

Arctic Reflections operates as a single unified research and development offering centered on its Arctic Ice Thickening Method—a proprietary technique for restoring Arctic sea ice. The company does not offer a platform-plus-modules architecture; instead, it provides end-to-end research services including field testing, data collection, scientific validation, and knowledge sharing related to its ice thickening technology. The core methodology serves as both the primary service offering and the foundational technology being developed for eventual scaling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Arctic Ice Thickening Method End-to-end research and field-testing service for restoring Arctic sea ice through seawater pumping: site selection, drilling, pumping operations, ice monitoring via thermistor chains and drone surveys, scientific validation, and open-access reporting. Delivered to institutional funders and research partners including ARIA, UN Ocean Decade, CarbonFix, UNIIQ, and Inuit communities in Nunavut. Achieves 25-35 cm of average ice thickening per field test, with a long-term mission goal of thickening 100,000 km² annually.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sea ice thickening of 25-35 cm achieved per field test across targeted plots (e.g., ~4,000 m² in Cambridge Bay, ~17 Ha in Qikiqtarjuaq)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

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

• TWDmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 July 2024TWD, a leading Offshore Method Engineering & Equipment Design company, provides engineering support including project management structuring, creative and pragmatic engineering assistance for technical and logistical challenges, and practical assistance in preparation of Arctic tests. Collaboration follows a joint Design Challenge.
• UN Ocean Decade / Ocean VisionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 May 2024Arctic Reflections was chosen to lead the UN Ocean Decade's Arctic Sea Ice Restoration Project. As lead institution, it works with other GEOS (Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions) projects and the GEOS programme lead Ocean Visions to develop scalable climate solutions. Addresses UN Ocean Decade Challenges 2 (protecting ecosystems) and 5 (ocean-based climate solutions).
• Cambridge Centre for Climate Repair (CCR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge serves as the consortium lead for ARIA-funded research. Director Dr. Shaun Fitzgerald is Scientific Advisor to Arctic Reflections. CCR is a global coordinating hub for international experts in carbon capture and climate repair, providing access to expert network.
• CHARS (Canadian High Arctic Research Station)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHARS, a Canadian government research station in Cambridge Bay established in 2017, provides operational base for field research activities. Arctic Reflections used CHARS facilities during initial field trip in January 2024.
• UNIS (University Centre in Svalbard)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint field test collaboration with UNIS and TU Delft in Svalbard, Norway (April 2024). UNIS scientists (including Aleksey Shestov) provided scientific guidance, measurement expertise, and local operational knowledge for the first comprehensive Arctic field test.
• FincoEnergiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with FincoEnergies for carbon insetting of all operational emissions, including aviation flights, field test operations (25% of total emissions), marine transport (via GoodShipping brand), road transport (Biofuel Swaps), and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) credits for air travel. FincoEnergies is also a funding partner.
• GoodShipping (FincoEnergies brand)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoodShipping, a brand of FincoEnergies, provided sustainable marine transport fuel services for Arctic Reflections' equipment transport.
• TU DelftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing academic partnership with Delft University of Technology, including joint field tests, student researchers (Hayo Hendrikse, Laura van Dijke, Tim Hammer from Delft), academic publications, and thesis collaborations. Multiple peer-reviewed papers co-authored with TU Delft researchers.
• Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center (NERSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Nansen Centre for ice arch research project as part of ARIA-funded consortium. Nansen Centre scientists contribute to large-scale modeling of Arctic basin sea ice extent and the effect of blocking straits.
• University College London (UCL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner for drone imaging procedure design and Arctic ice arch project (as part of ARIA consortium). UCL researchers collaborate on ice dynamics and environmental modeling.
• University of ManchestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with University of Manchester (Dr. Geoff Evatt) as part of ARIA consortium for ice arch research. Manchester team leads small-scale modeling of structural and mechanical properties of ice arches.
• Real Ice (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK initiative with a similar mission to Arctic Reflections. Real Ice organized the Cambridge Bay field expedition (January 2024) that Fonger Ypma joined. Part of the ARIA-funded £9.9 million consortium led by Cambridge Centre for Climate Repair. Both organizations share expertise and field learning.
• SmartICEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmartICE, a local Inuit organization in Cambridge Bay, continues to measure ice thickness throughout the season following Arctic Reflections' field trip, providing long-term monitoring data on ice growth and melting.
• University of WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with University of Washington as part of ARIA-funded £9.9 million consortium for Exploring Climate Cooling research.
• Arizona State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Arizona State University as part of ARIA-funded £9.9 million consortium for Exploring Climate Cooling research.
• Inuit Circumpolar Council / Local Inuit CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore operational partnership with Inuit communities in Nunavut (Qikiqtarjuaq) and Cambridge Bay. Partnership follows FPIC (Free, Prior and Informed Consent) principles and Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) principles. Local Inuit sea ice experts provide site selection advice, field guidance, tools, and traditional ecological knowledge. Community benefits include local employment and socio-economic contribution.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ice911 Research: US non-profit focused on Arctic ice preservation using environmentally benign reflective silica microspheres to increase ice albedo. Pursues the same ultimate goal of restoring Arctic sea ice but uses a fundamentally different intervention technique.
• Real Ice: UK-based social enterprise developing sea-ice thickening technology using similar seawater-pumping methods. Explicit partner in the ARIA consortium with Arctic Reflections and co-organizer of the Cambridge Bay expedition; pursues the same mission with overlapping scientific approach.
• Arctic Ice Project: US-based organization deploying thin reflective floating glass spheres on Arctic ice to enhance albedo and slow melting. Targets the same Arctic-ice-loss problem via a contrasting materials-deployment approach, making it a directly comparable intervention peer.

Broad incumbents

• Tomorrow.io: Commercial weather and climate intelligence company that has expanded into active weather-modification (cloud seeding) services. Represents a broader incumbent in climate intervention commercialization, operating at a far larger scale than Arctic Reflections but in an adjacent intervention category.
• 1PointFive (formerly Carbon Engineering): Large-scale direct-air-capture operation backed by Occidental, developing gigatonne-scale carbon removal. Operates in the adjacent carbon-capture-and-removal category that competes with Arctic ice restoration for climate-intervention investment dollars.
• Climeworks: Swiss direct-air-capture scale-up and established leader in the broader climate-intervention category. While focused on CO₂ removal rather than Arctic ice restoration, it competes with Arctic Reflections for high-impact climate-funding capital and policy attention.

Emerging players

• Make Sunsets: US startup releasing weather balloons carrying sulfur dioxide for stratospheric aerosol injection to cool the planet. An early-stage geoengineering peer operating in the broader climate-intervention category Arctic Reflections competes for funding and policy attention within.

Others

• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: Premier US marine research institution whose former Special Advisor (Adam de Sola Pool) now advises Arctic Reflections. Conducts large-scale ocean and climate research including polar processes, providing a comparable scientific institution peer in marine climate intervention research.
• Cambridge Centre for Climate Repair: University of Cambridge research hub and consortium lead for the ARIA-funded Exploring Climate Cooling programme that includes Arctic Reflections. Closely aligned mission of developing climate-repair interventions, with the centre's director serving as Arctic Reflections' scientific advisor.
• Ocean Visions: Non-profit coordinator of the UN Ocean Decade's GEOS (Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions) programme and Arctic Reflections' UN Ocean Decade partner. Works on ocean-based climate solutions and provides institutional coordination for related interventions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Arctic_Reflections
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arctic-reflections
• Instagraminstagram.com/arcticreflections.earth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 Arctic Reflections