By David Shukman
Science and environment correspondent, BBC News
Half-way through their expedition to survey the Arctic sea-ice, British explorers have been jinxed by yet more technical problems and are resorting to old-fashioned techniques to carry out research.
On Day 44 of the trek, both a radar device meant to measure the ice thickness and a satellite communications unit to relay the data are still not working – despite being brought back to the UK for repairs and then delivered to the team last week.
As a result, the explorers are now drilling more sampling holes than planned, which means they are progressing more slowly than hoped.
It now looks much less likely that the team will reach its destination of the North Pole.
The radar system, known as Sprite and meant to be dragged over the ice making millions measurements, is now being carried on a sledge instead.
Pen Hadow, leading the Catlin Arctic Survey, describes losing the use of the equipment as frustrating but concedes that the hostile conditions have overwhelmed the technology.
“It’s never wise to imagine that either man or technology has the upper hand in the natural world,” he said. “It’s truly brutal at times out here on the Arctic Ocean and a constant reminder that Mother Nature always has the final say.”
The expedition was blighted in the first few weeks by temperatures well below minus 40 Celsius, the equivalent of minus 70 allowing for the wind chill.
The failures are blamed on problems with power supplies, either with batteries not working or with cables snapping in the cold.
The loss of the hi-tech equipment has focused attention on the data gathered by the tried-and-tested method of drilling through the ice by hand.
One-hundred-and-two holes have been dug so far and 1,100 measurements have been made of ice thickness, snow density and other features – data deemed vital by scientists evaluating the future of the Arctic sea-ice.
The latest findings show that virtually all the ice surveyed is what is called first-year ice, ice that only grew this past winter, as opposed to tougher multi-year ice which survives the warmth of summer.
Figures indicate an average ice thickness of 1.15-3.75m, much of which might be expected to melt between June and September.
Organisers in London insist the expedition’s data-gathering is still important for research – despite the setbacks – and describe reaching the Pole as “largely irrelevant”.
According to Simon Harris-Ward, operations director, “what matters most is gathering the maximum amount of data possible over a scientifically interesting route.”
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Ho boy.
And we can really trust that hand-gathered data they’re bringing back.
Riiiiiggggght.
The cold has snapped cables, disabled high-tech gadgetry and frozen flesh, but WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!
Pen Hadow opines ” . . “It’s truly brutal at times out here on the Arctic Ocean and a constant reminder that Mother Nature always has the final say.”
Yep. And mother nature is turning down the thermostat.
How do I spell relief?
S-C-H-A-D-E-N-F-R-E-U-D-E
I don’t understand.
With the Arctic becoming ice-free at an ever accelerating pace, why aren’t they just paddling a boat? Why didn’t they just leave slightly later in the year and swim? Actually, I kinda picture them in a dinghy with a nice friendly cuddly Polar Bear towing them…
And actually, for this paragraph I was going to say something nice, but I just can’t think of anything. This entire mission seemed to have been launched with a supreme lack of respect for the Arctic. Sadly, I will see it spun into some sort of success, or “proof” of something, whatever that might be.
What Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote was true, I need $800 million to prove it, send me money.
The expedition is a truly monumental non-event of no scientific purpose. The only reason for it is for propaganda purposes. And those are a bit thin in light of the brutal natural conditions they have experienced in the arctic. They have shown that nature rules – OK.
Which was its reach in depth?, perhaps it heated up too much when they tried to measure more than 10 ft. deep ice. 🙂
So, if they dump SPRITE and the other non-functional electronics, replace the weight load with better food and other supplies for the Arctic, might they not make better time since they will have more high calorie food to fuel themselves? If they don’t have to drag useless dead weight, they might be able to make it to the Pole. Depends upon how often they stop to drill holes.
My original take was they were supposed to be drilling holes every 20 km, basically once every day or two on their original projected time line, in order to calibrate SPRITE. They no longer have to do that since “It’s dead, Jim!” From the sounds of things, they have been drilling a lot more than planned. Rough estimate of thirty minutes to an hour to drill the hole, measure, and then drop and recover their other little sensor device. So, cut that down to once a day, spend the other thirteen to fifteen hours traveling. With luck, that boosts their daily distance into the high teens, maybe the twenties, kilometers. Which should get them close to the pole by the end of the month, with several weeks left on their contract with KBA for recovery.
Do you mean to tell me it’s hard to work in the Arctic? I am shocked, shocked to find out that AGW has not made the Pole a hospitable place to do research.
and I love the revisionist history: “According to Simon Harris-Ward, operations director, “what matters most is gathering the maximum amount of data possible over a scientifically interesting route.” Translated through Babel fish: “We are still going to find the results that support our nonsense, real science be damned.”
Sometimes you can still get to the truth in a biased report by proper editing.
The next-to-last paragraph of the article, reduced to it’s core truth:
“Organisers in London insist the expedition’s data-gathering is … “largely irrelevant”.
This death march really reminds me of a quote from Raiders of the Lost Ark:
Belloq: What a fitting end to your life’s pursuits. You’re about to become a permanent addition to this archaeological find. Who knows? In a thousand years, even you may be worth something.
Except, of course, Indiana Jones these fools are not.
Lovely. They will be hauling a bunch of dead batteries around. Not to mention useless eqpt. And why don’t they just abandon it and use their energy to a better purpose? Obviously they don’t want to pollute the vast stretches of ice with electronic waste. Their lives are worth nothing when it comes to “saving” the environment. And what do you suppose their philosophy has in store for us kulaks?
Essentially all of their data was collected on first year ice in a region which experienced unusual melt last summer. Now that they are on “thicker multi-year ice” (as they described it) – they have no data.
What a surprise.
I am beginning to believe that there just might be a God who truly finds these global warming ideologues fair game for a good teasing– the Gore-effect expanded. Of course, a good dose of human stupidity doesn’t hurt.
“… a constant reminder that Mother Nature always has the final say.”
The cold must be really getting to them. Someone could easily misinterpret that to be a statement by a skeptic!
The original BBC link is here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7998501.stm
So it looks like the two main objectives of measuring the ice thickness and reaching the pole will not be achieved. Because of ‘hostile conditions’. What did they expect in the Arctic in winter? I suppose the answer is that based on the all the misleading GW propaganda spouted by the BBC, they expected warm sunshine.
This shambles becomes more and more reminiscent of last summers attempt to Kayak to the North pole by Lewis Pugh – recall he got stuck in ice having completed only about 1/5 of his journey, and hastily re-defined his objectives in favour of planting some flags in the ice…
These equipment failures will ultimately be used as a cover story to get these poor people off the ice. At least I hope.
We were looking for historically thin ice and we found historically thin ice. How could one question the integrity of such a scientific mission.
AllI can think about everytime I read about these people is the Forest Gump addage “stupid is as stupid does”.
I wish I could be nice about posting here but these people represent a threat to my freedoms. If they would represent the truth and give accurate analysis about what is going on in the arctic I think I could be nicer.
Looks like we already have a winner for the next quote of the week.
As for ‘much less likely to reach the pole” – can you get less likely than the 0% that most of us had put their chances at from the beginning?
Or as Forest Gump would say, “Stupid is as stupid does.”
“both a radar device meant to measure the ice thickness and a satellite communications unit to relay the data are still not working ”
Hopefully this isn’t a disingenuous way of saying that the ice is behaving in a politically incorrect manner and is thicker than expected thus rendering the data untransmittable.
“British explorers have been jinxed by yet more technical problems and are resorting to old-fashioned techniques to carry out research”
Does this mean they may also resort to old-fashioned cannibalism, all conveniently video recorded by BBC documentarians, if the support structure cannot get food to them? It might increase the ratings.
It would definitely beat out “Deadliest Catch”.
For a group traveling to the N.P. why didn’t they air drop a couple of Arctic Cats? It is stated that instrumentation has been sent to and fro UK for repairs, so these could have easily been setup in the early stages of the “expidition”. They complain about a hostile environment, but if they had a couple of those Arcitc Cats, with a nice heated interior, satellite TV, a hot plate for Dinty Moore, heck, I’d even volunteer.
I hope there is enough of this “scientifically interesting” data to send to Dr. Hansen, et. al. to manipulate accordingly.
Isn’t that an argument against AGW?
G
So the only time they drilled iceholes was in nice flat areas the did not drill in the areas covered by pressure ridges which were visibly taller than 10 feet (3 meters) I guess thats one way of cherry picking your data if the drill sites were randomly chosen or placed equidistant from each other (i.e. we drill a hole every 3 km no matter where we are) you would expect at least 1 or 2 thick patches. Oh well too much to hope for I guess JG
You have to admire the determination to continue. What is the reward?
Do they really believe they are contributing towards “saving the planet”?
I wonder if the ice measurements are “biased” due to the fact that the route they follow must be “human traversable”.
It would be a heck of a “faux pas” to plan a walking survey if “walkable” ice were different from “average/typical” ice.