Mongolia is to launch one the world's biggest ice making experiments later this month in an attempt to combat the adverse affects of global warming and the urban heat inland effect.

The project aims to artificially create “naleds”—ultra-thick slabs of ice that occur naturally in far northern climates when rivers or springs push through cracks in the surface to seep outwards during the day and then add an extra layer of ice during the night. The scientists behind the MNT 1 billion project hope the process will reduce energy demand from air conditioners and regulate drinking water and irrigation supplies.

“Everyone is panicking about melting glaciers and icecaps, but nobody has yet found a cheap, environmentally friendly alternative,” said Robin Grayson, a Mongolian based geologist. “If you know how to manipulate them, naled ice shields can repair permafrost and building cool parks in cities.”

He said the process will work in cities with extreme temperatures in both summer and winter.

Unlike regular ice formations on lakes (which only get to a meter in thickness before insulating the water below) naleds continue expanding for as long as there is enough water pressure to penetrate the surface. Many are more than 7 meters thick, which means they melt much later than regular ice.

A Mongolian engineering firm ECOS & EMI will try to recreate this process by drilling bore holes in the ice that has started to form on the Tuul River. The water will be discharged across the surface, where it will freeze. This process will be repeated at regular intervals throughout winter.  If successful, the model could be applied to other cities in the far north.