A team of scientists has come up with a plan they say could help rebuild the Arctic ice cap. The ice cap is a huge area of sea ice that covers most of the Arctic Ocean all year round. Usually, the sea ice gets thicker and spreads further each winter, but this hasn't happened for the past few years.

Last month, the ice cap had shrunk to its smallest size since scientists began keeping records of it 38 years ago. The weather in the Arctic has been unusually warm this winter. Some days, temperatures have been 20 degrees Celsius higher than is normal for this time of year.

The Arctic ice cap is important because sea ice reflects heat and light from the sun back into space. With less ice, the ocean would absorb more heat. the Arctic would warm up even more quickly, and more ice would melt. Without sea ice, many animals would lose their natural habitats and could become endangered. It could also affect the weather, with more storms and erosion along the coast.

Dr. Steven Desch and a group of scientists from Arizona State University in the United States think they can help to build up Arctic sea ice again. They want to install wind-powered pumps on the existing sea ice. During the winter, the pumps would spread water from the ocean over the surface of the ice where it would freeze and form a new layer of ice. The scientists say that in 10 years, this could add an extra meter of ice to the ice cap. (The Arctic ice cap is about two to three meters thick right now.)

The plan would require about 10 million pumps and it would be very expensive-about $655 billion. Some other scientists are wondering if the pumps would actually work in harsh Arctic conditions. They are also concerned about how the project might affect the environment.