Lyons began working with the engineers, and published a paper analyzing the Nilus Project's unique sociopolitical context earlier this year. Satellite photography dates the construction of Himalayan ice reservoirs to at least the 1960s. Unlike lakes, which freeze from the top down, ice reservoirs freeze from the bottom up. However, a significant barrier to ensuring the success of an ice stupa depends on an adequate workforce for maintenance. Through a series of pipes, the Nilus Project’s prototype ice stupa sprouts new ice by spraying glacial meltwater from the top and forming ice from the bottom up.

Source: The Nation July 10, 2023 17:04 UTC