Our Mission

The ice-masters or ijsmeeters

Ice has been an integral part of the culture. For years, we looked forward to winter so we could skate on our frozen lakes and canals. Unfortunately, global warming has rendered these frozen canals and lakes increasingly rare, and ice skating is now primarily an indoor activity. But when the temperatures do occasionally drop below the freezing point, a fierce competition ensues over who can organize the first ice skating competition on ‘natural’ ice. To accelerate natural ice generation, so-called ‘ijsmeesters’ pour layers of water on the ice, to thicken and strengthen it.

This principle of ice thickening can be applied to the thickening Arctic sea ice to ice sheet. This intervention has been proposed before, but its feasibility of doing this at scale has remained a question mark. We think we are well positioned to tackle this problem as we can leverage the extensive knowledge and experience of the Dutch water management ecosystem, our world-class technical universities, and some of the world’s largest dredging and offshore companies. 

To make a real impact, we will have to thicken an ice area the size of the Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg), in a smart way. We will work together with local communities and help them maintain their home.

Restoring Arctic sea ice requires large-scale, long-term investment and decisive execution. That is why Arctic Reflections operates as a social, impact-driven enterprise. Our structure serves our mission—not the other way around—and may evolve if a different model better enables us to achieve our goal. We exist to deliver real environmental impact at scale, rooted in science and guided by local communities.