Glacivita

Charlie, do you really think this is gonna work?
I don't know, but it's worth a shot. The planet's got what, a couple years left if we don't do anything major? I mean, you saw those wildfires in Europe. Wiped out millions.
I guess you're right. But at this point, should we even bother? I'm not holding out much hope. When have our world leaders ever done much good?

— Two builders working on Glacivita

Glacivita is an abandoned settlement on Earth. It was constructed very recently by humans as an industrial megastructure designed to mass-produce ice to "refreeze" the Antarctic Ocean to slow down global warming.

History

After the European Wildfire that decimated much of the population of Portugal, Spain, Andorra and France as a result of major global warming, many world leaders gathered for a meeting at the tip of Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest point on Africa. Many discussions and arguments were made, and a conclusion was reached. The world leaders needed to put away their differences and conflicts and solve global warming to save their planet.

One of many approved ideas was Glacivita. This monolithic megastructure would be an industrial fantasy and a city put together. Full-time workers would live on top of an ice generator of great proportions, in an attempt to literally refreeze the Antarctic Ocean. Unfortunately, it would take up a lot of resources to construct, but it began almost immediately after the blueprints were approved.

The city structure was erected in just six months, unveiled and broadcasted to the entire world on the 6th September 2035. 20,000 work placements were organised beforehand, and each worker was shipped to Glacivita to start work immediately after the unveiling. These workers included architects for city expansions, engineers of all kinds, biologists, geologists, many other scientists among many other jobs. They all played a crucial role in this attempt to slow down global warming.

For the entirety of 2036, the goal was to generate and send out 300 billion metric tonnes of ice. This would not only counter what would ordinarily melt, but increase the amount of ice in the Antarctic by a small percentage. Each year the aim was to release more ice into the oceans, and each year proved to be more effective than the last. In fact, Glacivita was an incredible success and lowered the average sea level, reducing risks of flooding in countless coastal cities, protecting fragile natural coastal environments, and lowered the planet's temperature by a fraction.

Ice Production

The entire city is situated on massive metal stilts, extending from the sea's surface down to the seabed. Underneath the platforms that hold up the bustling city are large vats that mass-produce ice. Seawater is pumped into filtration systems which purify it into freshwater, ready to be frozen. This freshwater is then transported into large vats which are supercooled, forming large ice-sheets in minutes.

These ice sheets are twenty metres long and wide, and are attached to large computer-controlled boats which transport them to different parts of the Antarctic Ocean. The boats are directed from control rooms in the city, which determine the best place to put the ice sheets based on existing ice and how effective its location is.

Location

Glacivita's remains can be found in the Weddell Sea. When it was constructed, it was two miles away from the Ronne Ice Shelf, but now it is completely encased in ice, for over 50 miles in each direction. Glacivita's eighteen metal stilts dig a hundred feet into the seabed on a cluster of underwater hills of hard stone.

RUINED SETTLEMENT
2048

Founding Date

2035

Type

City

Population

40,000 (at the time of human extinction)

Inhabitant Demonym

Glacivitan

Location under

Earth

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