The McIntyre chronology on the #spiritofmawson 'ship of fools'

Steve McIntyre has taken the time to create a well annotated and sourced timeline on the #spiritofmawson expedition.

He writes:

Like many others, I’ve been intrigued by the misadventures of the Ship of Fools. Dozens of tourist vessels visit the Antarctic without becoming trapped by ice. So it’s entirely valid to inquire into why the one tourist vessel led by a “climate scientist” became trapped by ice.

The leader of the expedition, Chris Turney (also a secondary Climategate correspondent and co-signer of Lewandowsky’s multisignatory letter in the Conversation), claimed that the incident could not have been predicted. He said that they were trapped by a sudden “breakout” of multi-year ice (“fast ice”) that had previously been part of the ice shelf and that there was no way that they could have anticipated this. Turney’s claim has been uncritically accepted by the climate community e.g. Turner of the British Antarctica Survey here.

However, like other recent claims by Turney, this claim is bogus. In fact, Turney was trapped by sea ice that had been mobile throughout December 2013. This can be easily seen by examining readily available MODIS imagery (see MODIS here) leading up to the incident, as I’ll do in today’s post.

Read it all here:

Ship of Fools

 

 

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Curious George
January 15, 2014 12:12 pm

To be precise, the vessel was led by a Prophessor of Climate Change, not a mere “climate scientist” .

Editor
January 15, 2014 12:22 pm

“A Prophessor of Climate Change” creates Prophesies?

January 15, 2014 12:23 pm

Remember the Meme! They have to save their high priests.

Theo Goodwin
January 15, 2014 12:27 pm

Prophessor? He defended his actions by making a claim whose falsity was a matter of official record. He is a Phesser.

J. Herbst
January 15, 2014 12:30 pm
Tom in Florida
January 15, 2014 12:31 pm

I wonder how many times the expression “It’s worse than we thought” was used during this whole fiasco.

Richard D
January 15, 2014 12:36 pm

“So it’s entirely valid to inquire into why the one tourist vessel led by a “climate scientist” became trapped by ice.”
So true and hilarious, too. It’s one big hornswoggle all the way down with these the charlatans.

A Lovell
January 15, 2014 12:39 pm

I’m not sure if it was a typo or not, but I think it’s worth repeating a previous comment.
‘Chris Turney is the git that keeps on giving…………’

J. Herbst
January 15, 2014 12:39 pm

More messages from the Australasian Antarctic Expedition. Seems to be a journey they never have dreamt of… But they will bear it in the spirit of Mawson.
http://www.sott.net/article/271975-Hilarious-Akademic-Shokalskiy-makes-it-back-to-port-spiritofmawson-ship-of-fools-still-stuck-in-Antarctica
BTW, Spirit of Mawson, this could be a new Longdrink. Or should it called Tequila Icefield? Any idea for recipes?

Jimbo
January 15, 2014 12:41 pm

However, like other recent claims by Turney, this claim is bogus. In fact, Turney was trapped by sea ice that had been mobile throughout December 2013.

Mr. Turkey looks like he’s been trapped again!

January 15, 2014 12:42 pm

It appears he may also have lied about his funding.
http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2014/01/chris-turney-lied-support-institutions
Another story worth following up.

Bulaman
January 15, 2014 12:44 pm
J. Herbst
January 15, 2014 12:45 pm

And there is a Russian Mini-Hardrock-Band called Shockalsky Revenge. Some guys from the crew?

Carnwennan
January 15, 2014 12:49 pm

I almost feel sorry for them. Steve McIntyre to warmists must feel like the Eye of Sauron.

J. Herbst
January 15, 2014 12:50 pm

Now they have finally arived … in Wikipedia!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akademik_Shokalskiy

Kon Dealer
January 15, 2014 12:53 pm

I spent 3 months, on secondment, down in the Antarctic in the mid 1990’s
As my experimental site was on an island, one of the first things we were taught at Rothera Base was about the unpredictability of pack (or drift) ice.
What could be free water could very rapidly become impenetrable ice in a few minutes by a change of tide, or wind direction.
Moreover this ice was mobile and you could be carried, helplessly, many miles- and possibly beyond rescue, if trapped.
Clearly Turney was reckless.
The other thing is organising scientific research. Everything takes longer than you think in the Antarctic.
You simply cannot cruise in, spend a few hours and cruise out again.
Turney is clearly not telling the truth.
This was a (self) publicity trip that went badly wrong. He is now spinning, madly, to extricate himself.
Regrettably he is receiving assistance from those who should (and most likely do) know better (Professor Turner, BAS).

RomanM
January 15, 2014 12:55 pm
Theo Goodwin
January 15, 2014 12:59 pm

What a glorious essay by McIntyre.

J. Herbst
January 15, 2014 1:00 pm

Wanna visit Antarcitca? Last call! two days left to go to the ross sea. The voyage/expedition – no longer in the spirit of mawson but in the wake of Scott and shackleton – starts on 17.1.2014 on the vessel … you guess … Academic Shoklasky!
http://heritage-expeditions.com/trip/wake-scott-and-shackleton-17-january-2014/
Probably the will meet there the icebreaker USS Polar Star… Finally…

graphicconception
January 15, 2014 1:12 pm
Hot under the collar
January 15, 2014 1:14 pm

Steve McIntyre says;
“Guardian photojournalist Laurence Topham became despondent, mourning the narrowness of his
bed and, in particular, the unavailability of peanut butter and banana milkshakes, a circumstance which, in an uncanny, almost eerie, coincidence, replicated the circumstances of the original Mawson expedition, which also lacked peanut butter and banana milkshakes.”
That will keep a few Guardian journalists and readers busy looking for the reference to peanut butter and banana milkshakes in Mawson’s log. : > )

J. Herbst
January 15, 2014 1:22 pm

Latest Antarctic Science Research Results from Prof. Chris Turney:
Global Warming kills Penguin because of too much ice!
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/chris_turney_now_blames_warming_for_trapping_penguins_in_ice_too/
Three years ago Global Warming killed the same penguins because of too little ice. Global Warming is a bitch, isn’t it?

Glenn Dixon
January 15, 2014 1:22 pm

Another victim of his own deluded, arrogant beliefs…they are not just plentiful, but so pervasive that I despair:
Is there ANYONE on the warmist side who is not an incompetent, arrogant fool?
Is there ANYONE on the warmist side who admits to mistakes (or worse) and withdraws erroneous work?

January 15, 2014 1:36 pm

Seems to me that whatever the public cost of this rescue, in the grander scheme of ecomentalist AGW monies is truly peanuts, the return on investment for blowing a massive hole in the warmist position with the general public is phenomenal…

JEM
January 15, 2014 1:37 pm

@J. Herbst – I’d like to think I’m ‘Superior Plus’ but I’m afraid $25K a head isn’t going to work right now.

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