WUWT readers may remember this story I wrote about the clowns from Old Pulteney’s “Row to the Pole” who had headlines blaring in Britain exclaiming they had rowed to the “north pole”. Telegraph, BBC, and Independent geography FAIL: “Row to the Pole” never made it to the “North Pole” – they are 790 miles short
I pointed out that not only were they NOT at the north pole, they weren’t even at the north magnetic pole which had since moved due to the Earth’s normal processes.
As I explained before the trip even started, there’s no “pole” achievement here, not even close. They are 738 KM short of the actual magnetic pole. The 1996 magnetic pole doesn’t exist there anymore and thus can’t be a pole of any kind.
The Telegraph article says:
The successful trip to the Pole, described as the “greatest ocean rows of all time”, was only possible because of more seasonal ice-melt in the Arctic that has opened the waters up.
No mention of the fact that they aren’t even close. The actual North pole is 790 miles away:
Most any child in primary school taking an introduction to geography could spot this error, which makes the Telegraphs error doubly embarrassing.
Following my lead, WUWT reader Neil Turner issued a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) in the UK over this glaring inaccuracy. They responded with a ruling and agreed the Telegraph erred. Here is part of the email exchange from the PCC and the Telegraph:
And here is the microscopically sized “correction” printed today on page 18, next to the nude wrestler story and the fashion news. It doesn’t even contain the word “correction”.
Neil writes in his email to me:
My observation is that it is typical that the misleading story received far greater prominence than the correction. I took this up with the PCC, and they explained that the size, font etc of correction is leaft at the Editor’s discretion.
From my perspective, the editor’s discretion, shown above in it’s placement and size, is pretty much the journalistic equivalent of “eff you!”.
What a bunch of gormless cobblers.
Meanwhile Jock Wishart and the crew enjoys the spoils of their sponsor, the Old Pulteney whisky company, caring not at all that people think he’s reached some sort of geographic pole. Such is the way of the world today, fluff and failure make headlines whiles facts get buried on page 18 next to the nude wrestlers.
Well, since this company wishes to sponsor fraud.
DO NOT BUY THEIR PRODUCT. If you have friend slugging down their product, when the drunken brawl is over explain to them that they are sponsoring a company that has no compunction about stating lies to push their product. If they will lie about that, would they also have no problem stating a lie about what is in their product?
How can you then trust them when they state that no primate urine was used in the manufacture of Olde Pulteney?
The “correction” doesn’t even state that it is a correction and is worded in a way to almost be a further endorsement of the NP falsehood. Saying that they rowed to the 1996 magnetic pole would, for many people who don’t follow the issue closely, make them think that 1996 must have been the last time it was “certified” and that, therefore, they actually got to the accepted magnetic NP. Oh, and everyone knows the magnetic NP is up north close, kinda, to the real NP. So as far as the “correction” goes, it is certainly *not* intended to inform the reader that the original article was misleading and that the group was nowhere near the NP; rather the “correction” is intended to reinforce the impression that the group got, for all practical intents and purposes, up there where the NP is.
Wait a minute. You mean they didn’t row back? None of these guys seem to be able to do much of anything in the Arctic without Kenn Borek.
The actual North pole is 790 miles away:………..
……..and solid ice
For the record, I also submitted a complaint to the PCC against the Telegraph and got a similar response. I have also had similar responses from the Guardian and the Independent.
I’m with John in L du B – “You mean they didn’t row back?” WUWT?? I wonder if they abandoned the boat and gear there, leaving it as trash, or just what they did with it? I mean, it may just be the angle or something, but the tail of that plane doesn’t look like it fits with something large enough to put the boat in, does it?
If you are looking for the true magnetic pole in the Northern Hemisphere (it is surprisingly the South magnetic pole), go East young man, your destination is Central Siberia.
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag/data/mag_maps/pdf/F_map_mf_2010.pdf
You mean no mention of the reason why they stopped at some off the wall place rather than the NP was TOO MUCH ICE in the way! Plus, they didn’t even try to row back.
We breathlessly await an expose of this geographic deceit —
at Real Climate, Deltoid, Climate Progress, etc.
Help, I’m turning purple very fast…
Okay, wait for it … now, “Send in the apologists” (R. Gates et al) …
Katabasis1
Well done. I was aware that there were two complainants. Did the Guardian and Independent issue a correction ?
I followed this Annual British Arctic Folly daily on their website. It was clear to me from that source from the beginning that they intended to row to the 1996 site of the magnetic north pole. You don’t have to con the newspapers, they’ll do it to themselves.
From here it just looked like a bunch of good ol’ boys (British style) had come up with an idea for an adventure and sold it to a gullible sponsor. Interesting that they spent their final night on an abandoned DEW line base. Still waiting for the report on the “science” that was done.
Anthony needs to issue a minor correction of his own: the “mud wrestling” story was actually about a male-on-male nude wrestling scene in the 1969 film “Women in Love”, no mud involved. I noticed because that scene scarred me for life when I saw it on cable; to this day I haven’t been able to watch WWE “sports entertainment”. 🙂
When WUWT first ran the story I went to the team’s web site and posted a remark about their inaccuracy. There was one other similar entry at that time. The response was that they were simply going to the last place certified as the NMP and had stated so. In a later post the team asked their “fans” to ignore the naysayers.
“If you are looking for the true magnetic pole in the Northern Hemisphere (it is surprisingly the South magnetic pole), go East young man, your destination is Central Siberia.
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag/data/mag_maps/pdf/F_map_mf_2010.pdf”
That shows the field intensity, not its direction, so says nothing about the location of the poles.
I think henceforth I shall refer to their product as “Old Pole-Phony.”
I’ve never even seen their stuff on sale. They’re trying to prolong stuff on their Facebook page, but no one’s really interested anymore. I shouldn’t think their sponsors have received a ROI.
I had a similar problem with Geoffrey Lean (their environmental correspondent) when he got Arrhenius CO2 sensitivity wrong – but only by a factor of 3. He quoted a preliminary paper that Arrhenius retracted two years later. Any correction? Any apology?
Yep you guessed it. Science and truth is a foreign land to many of these jokers – mind you there’s an idea promote him Foreign Correspondent in Kabul.
Those guys drink whiskey like little girls.
It was an out-and-out lie. Blatent. Unretracted. And then they have the temerity to bleat that they got there “because the ice melted”, making up an image of open water at 90 degrees north. It simply reeks of childish I-told-you-so, coupled with the calculated gamble on people’s ignorance and apathy: that nobody “of consequence” would dispute it. Just like the Goreacle’s little cookie jar experiment, they got caught with their hands in one. So what! What tripe.
It’s common place for corrections in newspapers to be very hard to find, regardless of how much the original, incorrect story was hyped.
When the presenters of BBC’s “Top Gear” drove to the “North Pole” in 2007 … same thing: they went to the 1996 MNP location. They showed a car’s GPS location on screen as they arrived, so there was no confusion about where they actually went. The Wikipedia page states this as if that was the plan, but on the show the word “magnetic” was never mentioned. Oh well …
I think it makes a much better story that they did reach the North Magnetic Pole – 15 years late!
Old Pulteney drinkers are either in no hurry, or don’t sweat the details.
If a Sponsor doesn’t care about accuracy, why should it care about quality?
Mark Thomas says:
September 30, 2011 at 11:29 am
“If you are looking for the true magnetic pole in the Northern Hemisphere (it is surprisingly the South magnetic pole), go East young man, your destination is Central Siberia.
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag/data/mag_maps/pdf/F_map_mf_2010.pdf”
That shows the field intensity, not its direction, so says nothing about the location of the poles.
~
Not to get you upset or anything M. Thomas, but .. the magnetic N. Pole direction since ew 1996 is heading towards Siberia.. Vuks is just saying well maybe part of it is already there. Magnetic axis still working its way over..not the same as geographic n. pole.
Vuks did you shows us once how the magnetic equator fluctuated with the N. magnetic pole fuctuations or was that my imagination? Someything about a westward drift of the SAA in there somewhere.
Mar Thomas, maybe this will help you find the Pole.
http://geography.about.com/od/learnabouttheearth/a/northpole_2.htm
What a nice picture of five men, all of whom are woefully short.
gosh. It is a challenge. And what is to be achieved, BY DEFINITION, is to reach the magnetic pole at its position of 1996. If a news paper gets it wrong, that does not make everybody an idiot.
If I say I sail to the magnetic pole where it was 300 years ago, then that is what I do. It is amazing how much energy is wasted on such a non-existent issue. Read the Wiki on the various poles, it’s all in there.
Another example of why the “4th Estate” (MSM) is being rapidly overtaken by the “5th Estate” (WWW). And why there will be more and more attempts to restrict the WWW.
Well done Anthony, the word is now out and therefore will spread. We should no longer think of the MSM as being all powerful. It will become but a supplement to the 5th Estate.
Mark Thomas says: September 30, 2011 at 11:29 am
……………
In the South hemisphere magnetic field is far simpler, there the magnetic North pole is where the main field is the strongest; it has travelled across the Antarctica during last 400 years and currently is located just off it. In the North hemisphere there is a bifurcation of the Earth’s magnetic field, the strongest area for centuries was near the Hudson Bay in Canada, while the other weaker peak was to be found in the Central Siberia, with a magnetic needle pointing half way in between.
Things have moved since, the Hudson Bay is rapidly loosing while Siberia is gaining the strength. Neither of two locations has moved much, but that simplest of the instruments ‘the magnetic needle’ still points halfway in between, with the ‘virtual magnetic pole’ racing across the Arctic Ocean towards Russia.
So in reality the South magnetic pole flipped from the Hudson Bay to Siberia in the mid 1990s and since then, both magnetic poles are in the Eastern Hemisphere, but with strengthening of the Siberian pole, the South Atlantic magnetic anomaly is becoming ever deeper, eventually causing a hazardous area for any satellites orbiting above.
More details here on the Earth’s magnetic model:
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag/WMM/data/WMM2010/WMM2010_Report.pdf
Carla says: September 30, 2011 at 12:16 pm
…..
Hi
Sort of.
Magnetic equator is mainly affected by movements in the Northern Hemisphere. This graph shows evolution of the vertical component Bz since 1600:
http://www.vukcevic.talktalk.net/LFC23.htm
@neil
“Well done. I was aware that there were two complainants. Did the Guardian and Independent issue a correction ?”
Yes! Both amended the articles I complained about. – I was also told there was a second complainant to the Telegraph; its good to find out it was another WUWT reader!
I’m pleasantly surprised with how effective the PCC has been with regards to this issue; I think we should make a habit of pressing them regularly on these issues when we have the time.
I was looking over this supposed proof of the magnetic south being in Siberia. The NOAA report is very scientific and complicated for an amateur (like myself) to dig through, but I am quite certain that it does not say what you think it says (h/t Inigo Montoya).
The study and report appear to me to be measurements of the CHANGE in INTENSITY of the magnetic field at various positions around the world. This intensity is measured in various directions, and that part I don’t quite understand. But I think it is saying that the INTENSITY of the SOUTH magnetic force has changed (GROWN) more in central Siberia than any where else.
It sounds like they are saying a compass has two poles, north and south, which BOTH point toward their opposite magnetic pole EVERYWHERE on earth. The pull on the NORTH end of the magnet toward the SOUTH magnetic pole has strengthened more in central Siberia than any other place.
Which has NOTHING to do with the location of the south magnetic pole.
Someone correct me if I’m eggregiously off, here. I’m not ready to start believing that Polaris is (was) our South Star.
The chance that I would buy a bottle of “Old Putzney” is zero. I’m even not sure they market the stuff where I live. Obviously, they don’t care about science and truth.
Katabasis1
Agreed. The PCC were very good (quick response / impartial), although I sense they don’t really have the power to get the publication to retract / correct in appropriate proportion to the publicity of the misleading article.
I was asked to agree the DT’s response. Initially this was a statement from them advising that they had corrected the website, and was this sufficient ? I felt that as they had also published it in their paper version, they should correct it there, and the PCC duly passed this message on. It’s only when you see the original and the retraction side by side (as AW has presented above) that one realises how inadequate this really is. This being my “first time” I maybe asked for too little. Hey ho.
It looks like the magnetic poles are close to flipping so we may (or may not) live through interesting times.
The south atlantic anomaly is very interesting as a north pole seems to be forming there (hope I’m not in a plane when it happens 😮 – though it may take many years).
Look on the bright side they won’t just be the northern or southern lights anymore!
“…first to row to the pole after the ice caps melted…
Did I read that correctly? Antarctica has melted away to bare ground?
Look, these people don’t know what magnetic means anyway.
I have to defend my old sailing pal John Wishart.
He ALWAYS said that they were going to the 1996 position.
If the “Media” misrepresent him there isn’t a lot that he can do about it; as we here know only too well.
@Oldseadog
Thank you, may I suggest that if he is a man of integrity, I encourage you to encourage him to issue a statement of fact and correction on the “Row to the Pole” website, otherwise he is complicit.
oldseadog says (September 30, 2011 at 2:25 pm): “He ALWAYS said that they were going to the 1996 position. If the “Media” misrepresent him there isn’t a lot that he can do about it; as we here know only too well.”
So he was one of the people who wrote in to correct the article?
@Anthony
@Oldseadog
Go to Oldpulteny.com, read their intro which has been there for months. Then stop this nonsense.
Or “next to the corset ads,” as Nixon used to say.
But, in some (or all?) of the headline-stories after their “achievement,” they were quoted as claiming they had reached the North Pole–no qualification was included.
It still annoys me to see all that blue that they photoshopped over the ice fields to pretend that it had all melted.
Scammers.
John Conner says:
September 30, 2011 at 1:27 pm
……………..
Hi John
Image of the Earth magnetic field of a simple ‘bar’ magnet (surface up to many hundreds of miles altitude) is misleading and the source of some confusion. The Earth’s magnetic field currently is mainly in the shape of the capital letter ‘Y’, with bottom end just of the Antarctica. Two branches are in the N. Hemisphere, one in Canada the other in Siberia.
Magnetic pole in the South hemisphere is very clear, it is at the location of the strongest field (pages 70-73)
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag/WMM/data/WMM2010/WMM2010_Report.pdf
In the North there is a choice.
One alternative is the ‘magnetic average’ of the two top ends of the ‘Y’ shape. Problem with this is that it is not the strongest (as ‘pole’ implies), it is far from static, but is currently moving not at the steady rate but accelerating towards Russia ; according to some calculation it will reach the Siberian landmass in about two decades, and in another decade or two it will be in the Central Siberia.
I am advocating that the pole should be at the location of the strongest field which happens to be stationary.
Fast moving or fixed pole? The Earth is determined to impose its own solution, I am just making readers aware of it, and all schools should do the same.
How can we agree on anything is this important debate when we can’t even agree where bloody Santa lives.
I saw that microscopic article in today’s DT, more by accident than design. The mini-headline certainly gave no clue that it was a correction…talk about tokenism.
The DT has become a tabloid rag lately, in all but size.
Next time they could row to the West Pole, Texas (near Austin) along the Colorado river. It is much easier and again, they could truthfully claim having rowed to the Pole with no ice whatsoever around. They could even celebrate Armadillo Day there, at Bee Cave. Isn’t it fun enough?
Ben Turpin says:
September 30, 2011 at 3:13 pm
How can we agree on anything is this important debate when we can’t even agree where bloody Santa lives.
==========================================
Santa lives at the Ritz Carlton in the Cayman Islands.
Why didn’t they go to the geophysical pole (even though it has a 26000 year orbital wobble)… the real point about which the earth rotates about it’s axis, as to me, that is the ‘Real’ North pole and not some wandering magnetic occurance which just happens to be at the polar regions at present?
The boat “Old Pulteney” has of course been sold to “ursus bogus”, who has just realised that he’s been conned, as the sea is re-freezing.
I’d still like to know what that outboard motor was for.
Matt says:
If I say I sail to the magnetic pole where it was 300 years ago, then that is what I do.
I think I’ll go to somewhere the magnetic pole has been in the past. Shouldn’t be too hard since it’s not as if anyone can prove that any random point on the Earth’s surface has never corresponded to a magnetic pole sometime in the last 4 billion years.
Let’s see . . . 13,000 years ago, was the geophysical North Pole someplace I could walk to without too much bother?
oldseadog says:
September 30, 2011 at 2:25 pm
I second Anthony’s suggestion. Oldseadog, here is your chance. Get that notice, per Anthony’s request, posted as soon as possible. A man of integrity would leap at the chance.
The march of the North Magnetic Pole is obvious to this sailing Canadian, mainly because it affects what is known as the deviation of our compass readings and is noted on our charts. Since I started sailing in 1999, the charts that came with the boat indicated that there was 10 degrees to the West to be considered in the compass reading when comparing “Magnetic” to “True”. In other words, if you think you are sailing due North at 000 degrees, you are actually sailing NNE at 010 degrees. You correct accordingly and all is well.
The latest charts indicate that the deviation is 11 degrees W. It might seem academic, but if you use an autopilot and punch in what you think are the right numbers for your headings, you can end up in the wrong place, much like the British rowers, unless of course their wrong place was the right place.
I would also add that this “wandering magnetic pole” effect is quite strong in Canada’s North and the deviations are far greater, rendering compass bearings suspect in that area. Just as solar activity can heat up the atmosphere and create drag on LEO satellites, or can nudge GPS satellites, I suppose.
For those who like detail, here’s the Canadian projections for when the NMP will progress into Russia: http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/geomag/nmp/long_mvt_nmp_e.php
And it’s interesting to note that the thing wobbles on a *daily* basis:
http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/geomag/nmp/daily_mvt_nmp_e.php
By the way, were the magnetic field of the Earth to significantly decrease prior to or in concert with a “polarity swap”, the consequences for humanity would be significantly more severe than most of the “global warming” scenarios. It’s happened before and the evidence, unlike that for climate change, is not particularly ambiguous. Carry a flint box, I say.
I have never heard of that whisky, and my liquor locker would argue that I have a passing familiarity with whisky brands. Not much of a marketing triumph, is it?
You just described about 99% of advertising.
It’s worse than we thought:
Check out Wikipedia’s article on polar expeditions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Arctic_expeditions
2011 British team of explorers became the first people to row to the magnetic North Pole after the ice caps melted.[6]
And the citation given is (drum roll please)
^ British explorers row 450 miles to North Pole in world first voyage, The Telegraph, August 28, 2011.
Roger Knights says:
September 30, 2011 at 2:57 pm
“But, in some (or all?) of the headline-stories after their “achievement,” they were quoted as claiming they had reached the North Pole–no qualification was included.”
Exactly. In fact they continued to actively mislead the public by their silence about the difference.
Typical.
“By the way, were the magnetic field of the Earth to significantly decrease prior to or in concert with a “polarity swap”, the consequences for humanity would be significantly more severe than most of the “global warming” scenarios”.
OH DO TELL. What new thing should worry us?
M.A.Vukcevic says:
September 30, 2011 at 11:06 am
If you are looking for the true magnetic pole in the Northern Hemisphere (it is surprisingly the South magnetic pole), go East young man, your destination is Central Siberia.
No, this is totally wrong. The magnetic poles are just north of Canada and south of Australia. The Earth’s main magnetic field is generated deep in the outer fluid core. What we observe on the ground is the effect of that distant field.
The real culprits were the Press Association and the rowers themselves (for not admitting they had not reached the geographic NP), not any of the very many papers that take the PA feed. The Telegraph printed the PA Media Release in good faith, as the PA is generally reliable, and Telegraph is as should be known by now far from being a true believer in so-called AGW.
M.A.Vukcevic says:
September 30, 2011 at 11:06 am
If you are looking for the true magnetic pole in the Northern Hemisphere (it is surprisingly the South magnetic pole), go East young man, your destination is Central Siberia.
The particles creating the aurorae know where the magnetic pole is:
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/gif/pmapN.gif
and now you know too.
Remember how quickly Sony ditched 10:10 ?
Indeed you can contact Old Pulteney and send them a message via their website to let them know of your views on this charade and why it’s important … and how you will not be purchasing their product any more.
http://www.oldpulteney.com/
See below my letter to Old Pulteney..
Dear Sir
I am writing to let you know of my disgust at your sponsorship of the Role to the Pole charade. Climate change is an extremely serious issue, not because we face any catastrophic warming, but because the absurd policies which are being put in place will cause immense economic pain to many. Fuel poverty is already on the increase due to rising energy prices partly due to the cost of funding pointless green energy initiatives.
You have sponsored a sham making it look as though a group could actually row to the pole when they could do nothing of the sort. Not only was the coverage manifestly fraudulent, but this kind of irresponsible behaviour only embeds further the destructive government policies we have been lumbered with.
I will no longer purchase your product.
Regards
Leif Svalgaard says:
September 30, 2011 at 8:06 pm
The particles creating the aurorae know where the magnetic pole is and now you know too.
Hi dr. S.
At high altitudes, there is even less distinct magnetic pole, just the distorted doughnut shaped Earth’s magnetosphere which forms shape of the aurorae (s), and that is known even better.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/images/content/141184main_109401main_radbelt_lgweb.jpg
The subject is magnetic pole down here on the Terra firma.
There is no currently major drift of poles in the Arctic , just change in intensity between the Hudson Bay and Siberia (both centres are outside the Arctic circle); that is not to say that they were there in the distant past or will be in the future, but currently (for at least a century) that is the case.
You cannot hope
To bribe or twist,
Thank God! The
British journalist.
But, seeing what
The man will do
Unbribed, there’s
No occasion to.
Humbert Wolfe: “Over the Fire”, from The Uncelestial City
Tim Curtin @ 7.58 pm:
In that case, the Telegraph should have published a much more obvious correction. Don’t forget that the Telegraph (DT) harbours both Geoffrey Lean and Louise Gray.
Allan M @ 12.50 am:
LOL. I’ve been meaning to look up Humbert Wolfe and you have given me added impetus!
I hope every single one of them got a lifetime supply of Old Pulteney’s. Cause otherwise this thing wasn’t really worth it.
Leif Svalgaard says:
September 30, 2011 at 8:06 pm
The particles creating the aurorae know where the magnetic pole is:
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/gif/pmapN.gif
Leif,
This is wrong, and possibly cherry picking. The center of the aurorae orbits a northerly point once a day. At the animation page, http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/AnimateN.html, compare 2011-09-30 2134UT with 0914. I believe the point it orbit is Vukcevics summed north pole.
Patrick.
Does it matter the single magnetic pole, the Hudson Bay or Siberia?
It does!
Not for navigation, there is GPS.
But it matters for understanding of the stratospheric vortex, take a careful look at the splitting of ionising particles in the stratospheric vortex, guided by magnetic polarity:
http://eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/36000/36972/npole_gmao_200901-02.mov
So what ?
Stratospheric vortex has strong effect on the winter weather in the Northern Hemisphere.
Winter turned fierce in the opening weeks of 2009. A bitter cold snap set in over much of the United States, and temperatures plummeted beyond -30 degrees Celsius (-22 F) in parts of the Upper Midwest. On February 2, portions of Western Europe were doused with heavy snow. England received the brunt of the storm with up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) of snow falling in London. the rest is here:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=36972
Is this something new?
Not as far as I understand it:
http://www.vukcevic.talktalk.net/NFC.htm
ROTFLMAO! Thanks SSam. My monitor was due for a cleaning anyway.
@ “Rational Debate” The plane looks like one of Ken Borek’s “Twotters” (the de Havilland DHC 6 Twin Otter);
http://www.borekair.com/index.php/our-fleet/twin-otter
Try getting a retraction of this one
http://www.independent.co.uk/i/editor/letter-from-the-i-editor-lose-for-characterbuilding-2363880.html
Front page of the Independents “I” paper today.
http://www.independent.co.uk/i/editor/letter-from-the-i-editor-lose-for-characterbuilding-2363880.html?action=Popup
Let’s not hyperventilate about a successful advertising promotion.
Can we say and spell “Brand Recognition”?
Anyone interested in the event would have found sufficient information of where they were rowing and the location of the old and new geographic and magnetic poles
They rowed Old Pulteney to increased sales.
I’ll drink to that.
And I did with my first bottle of Old Pulteney. Pretty damned good whiskey.
And their effort did not require any government or bureaucratic to issue new rules and regulations.
Yet.
We know that when the magnetic poles flip it will be life threatening to many migrating species.
Hmmm, perhaps we SHOULD develop a Bureau of Pole Position, BPP, to officially regulate the wandering poles and set acceptable limits on their movements?
M.A.Vukcevic says:
October 1, 2011 at 12:49 am
The subject is magnetic pole down here on the Terra firma.
Which is where the horizontal force vanishes just north of Canada.
M.A.Vukcevic says:
October 1, 2011 at 3:59 am
Does it matter the single magnetic pole, the Hudson Bay or Siberia? […]
But it matters for understanding of the stratospheric vortex
Which is right down here on Terra Firma 🙂
The auroral oval shows where the pole is in the upper atmosphere.
It would be helpful that you get your facts straight. I
It seems that it is not only the Telegraph that does not know where the pole is.
Matt says:
September 30, 2011 at 12:43 pm
gosh. It is a challenge. And what is to be achieved, BY DEFINITION, is to reach the magnetic pole at its position of 1996. If a news paper gets it wrong, that does not make everybody an idiot.
If I say I sail to the magnetic pole where it was 300 years ago, then that is what I do. It is amazing how much energy is wasted on such a non-existent issue. Read the Wiki on the various poles, it’s all in there.
Matt as usual you come up with a strawman argument.
The Telegraph Headline (helpfully highlighted at the top of this thread) says:
“British Explorers row 450 miles to North Pole in World First Voyage
A group of intrepid British explorers yesterday became the first people to row to the North Pole after the ice caps melted in a journey that encountered polar bears, collisions with icebergs and biting seals. ”
Note the ‘after the ice caps melted’ (plural!!) emphasis and no mention of ‘magnetic’ anywhere in the article.
The complaint was about the Telegraph reporting. I am sure that the rowers to a man would all have said “No No we are not going anywhere near the actual North Pole we are going to the closest place that the magnetic North Pole reached toward open sea”. However, it is interesting that none of them attempted to correct the geographically challenged main stream media who reported on their ‘feat’.
This is like someone going on a walking holiday to Nepal and having it reported that they climbed Everest – and then doing nothing to correct the story. Says a lot about the group and their sponsor don’t you think?
The graphic you linked is interesting. However, for those of us who use the earth’s magnetic field on a daily basis to get from place to place, it’s the direction of the field that’s important, not its intensity.
And in response to another post; yes, GPS is certainly nice. But but a map and compass will still work when some bonehead decides to start broadcasting an internet signal right next to the GPS band, with several orders of magnitude more power. (I guess I’ve telegraphed my opinion of Lightsquared.)
For your information, in case you might like to write them a letter, visit, or telephone any query
Old Pulteney is the flagship single malt Scotch whisky brand in the Inver House portfolio, and is produced at the most northerly distillery on the Scottish mainland, in Wick.
Head Office ….
Inver House Distillers Ltd
Moffat Distillery
Towers Road
Airdrie
ML6 8PL
tel: 01236 769377
———
From the M8 motorway take junction 6 sign posted Airdrie & Lanark, at the roundabout take the exit sign posted Airdrie & Chapelhall. Follow the road, straight through the roundabout to the traffic lights at Chapelhall. Take the first right immediately after the traffic lights, follow the road for approx. 3 miles up through Gartness. At the mini roundabout take a right and Inver House is situated half a mile up the road on the left hand side.
M. Dacey says:
September 30, 2011 at 4:53 pm
You need a GPS.
mwhite says:
October 1, 2011 at 4:36 am
It’s all part of a government plot to get people to buy icecreams to boost the retail sales figures.
Repeat after me.. What recession? la, la, la, la, la … I can’t hear you.
The photo reminds me of Monty Python’s skit about the English Channel Leap.
Jacob Stewart says:
October 1, 2011 at 8:00 am
For your information, in case you might like to write them a letter, visit, or telephone any query
Old Pulteney is the flagship single malt Scotch whisky brand in the Inver House portfolio, and is produced at the most northerly distillery on the Scottish mainland, in Wick.
You should really not bother going to Wick – you should go to the Glenfarclas Distillery, a better whisky and family owned. In the heart of Speyside just off the A95 a few miles South of Aberlour.
Leif Svalgaard says:
October 1, 2011 at 5:26 am
……
Stratosphere does the job very clearly.
http://eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/36000/36972/npole_gmao_200901-02.mov
Ed Fix says:
October 1, 2011 at 7:29 am
…….
Hi Ed
If you live in US it will not make much difference to your compass, it will still point to the north, but if you live in northern Scandinavia or if you are fisherman in the Nordic Seas you will have to do some serious recalibration possibly on annual basis.
Re. graph: nature has no secrets, we only have to try harder to interpret its language.
John Conner says:
September 30, 2011 at 1:27 pm
“Someone correct me if I’m eggregiously off, here. I’m not ready to start believing that Polaris is (was) our South Star.”
Don’t worry, you’re still thinking straight. A compass used to have a NORTH-SEEKING pointer. Vuk must’ve wagged school that day. Or did the poles reverse while I was asleep?
Slacko says:
October 1, 2011 at 9:44 am
Vuk must’ve wagged school that day
No he didn’t, and his teacher knew the facts.
– Compass end that points to the north, by convention is called ‘north pole’ of the magnet that is the said needle made of.
– Opposite magnetic poles attract and likes repel.
– Since the needle’s ‘north pole’ is attracted by the Earth’s magnetic pole located in the Northern Hemisphere, it has to be opposite i.e. the Earth’s South Magnetic Pole, the Earth’s North Magnetic Pole is just of the Antarctica.
Confused?
So you should be, since your teacher didn’t know his facts.
Slacko here is link:
http://cdn.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/2009/EarthsMagneticField.jpg
Nobody reads the ‘after’ news. They did the job, fooled the sheep.
The failure of newspapers to correct errors seems to be built into their DNA. To say nothing of pushing one viewpoint where an honest paper would take a neutral stance. The Globe and Mail consistently gives great prominence to anythng that pushes the AGW agenda, and then does nothing to correct misinformation. One example was their coverage of the resignation of Wolfgang Wagner from “Remote Sensing”. The article, titled “Journal editor resigns over ‘flawed’ paper” (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/sep/02/journal-editor-resigns-climate-sceptic-paper), is attributed to The Guardian and appears to be identical to what comes up with a google search. Despite the huge amount of contrary information from WUWT and other sources, the G&M has not carried a single word to distance itself from the disgraceful Guardian article.
It is quite disgusting how the MSM, like the G&M, CBC, BBC, ABC, and so on feel that it is their task in life to promote the AGW story instead of looking objectively at the facts.
IanM
co … – guardian.co.uk
As is quoted from the “Old Pulteney” Website …
“we spent our final night in the luxurious derelict confines of Isaachsen once again, the final stop of our expedition and from where we would be ‘extracted’ in the morning. The place is an ex American radar base set up as part of the DEW Line back in the late 1940’s and which shut down in the late 70’s.”
— WRONG ! BONG ! — IT WAS NEVER PART OF THE “DEW Line”
Anyway, Isachsen (note spelling) was a remote Arctic research-weather station named after the Norwegian explorer of the Arctic, Gunnar Isachsen. it is located on the western shore of Ellef Ringnes Island in the Sverdrup Islands, in the territory of Nunavut in Canada. Isachsen Station was established to participate in a joint Canadian-American weather observation program. Isachsen Station operated from April 3, 1948 through September 19, 1978.
The eight-man staff at Isachsen usually consisted of four Americans and four Canadians. The Americans were usually two weather observers, a cook, and a mechanic. The Canadians were usually two weather observors and two radio operators. There were NO MILITARY PERSONNEL
Isn’t the real story here that a group of english explorers couldn’t even find the North Pole when equipped with a map and the latest in navigational equipment? They they had to be flown out by plane (presumably piloted by a Norwegian) so that they wouldn’t end up in Oslo!
I think they are excellent role models for our kids and their achievement puts the ‘great’ back in Great Britain. On behalf of the British people (who didn’t see fit to elect me) let me say well done.
I remember at the time, writing an irate email to the whisky brand sponsor!
I told them that they had associated with a deliberately fake expedition and thus I was going to assume that their brand was equally fake and I would therefore be sticking with a genuine whisky called Laphraoig.
I never received a reply….
If you want to drink a real whisky – this is the one. And their coordinates are accurate, too!
Laphroaig Whisky
Region: Islay
Founded 1815
Water source The Kilbride Dam
Coordinates: 55°37′55″N 06°08′58″W
M.A.Vukcevic says:
October 1, 2011 at 9:35 am
Stratosphere does the job very clearly.
Stratosphere does not know where the pole is, the aurora does. You should spare us the pseudo science, it is giving WUWT a bad name.
@DonS and @Oldseadog
I wasn’t going to respond, but knowing full well that during their little escapade, the ‘Row to the Pole’ comment section was heavily censored in regards to any comments regarding this issue.
Essentially, if you weren’t supportive, you didn’t get printed.
Old Pulteney, Jock Wishart, and the ‘row to the pole’ crew remain mum and don’t even have the ḥaṣāfah to correct the issue.
You think any of them have bothered to correct their friends when they are given a shot or a ‘attaboy’ when asked, “How’s it feel to be the first to row the pole?”
Please.
/rant
/sarc
CFA;
When the site first went up (on Aug. 3 or so), I managed to get this in:
hey buddy the magnetic north pole is in the antarctic.
M.A.Vukcevic says:
October 1, 2011 at 9:35 am
Stratosphere does the job very clearly.
Indeed it does:
http://www.vukcevic.talktalk.net/Ozone.htm