This is a news story from Germany outlining another Arctic ice measurement expedition. This one was conducted by flying the scientists across the north polar ice cap using the WWII era workhorse Douglas DC-3 airplane equipped with skis, and towing an airborne sounder twenty meters above the ice surface. It makes the Catlin Arctic Ice Survey look rather pointless, but then we knew that. BTW “Eisdicken” translates to “ice thickness”. – Anthony
From Radio Bremen. Translated from German by Google web page translator: Original | Translated
Surprising Results
At the North Pole ice sheet is thicker than expected
![Das Forschungsflugzeug "Polar 5" in Bremerhaven [Quelle: AWI]](https://i0.wp.com/www.radiobremen.de/wissen/nachrichten/polarfuenf100_v-slideshow.jpg?quality=83 "The research aircraft Polar 5 \"in Bremerhaven [Source: AWI]")
The “Polar 5” in Bremerhaven
The research aircraft Polar 5 “ended today in Canada’s recent Arctic expedition. During the flight, researchers have measured the current Eisstärke measured at the North Pole, and in areas that have never before been overflown. Result: The sea-ice in the surveyed areas is apparently thicker than the researchers had suspected.
Normally, ice is newly formed after two years, over two meters thick. “Here were Eisdicken up to four meters,” said a spokesman of Bremerhaven’s Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research. For scientists, this result is still in contradiction to the warming of the seawater.
Besides the Eisdicken was also the composition of the air are investigated. With the help of a laser, the researchers reviewed how polluted the atmosphere by emissions from industrialized countries. On the expedition, some 20 scientists from the U.S., Canada, Italy and Germany.
Here is the route map:
See the press release announcing the expedition from Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research here. Note the lack of “live” biometrics.
But they do have a nifty aerial ice thickness probe, shown above.
An ice thickness probe, the so-called EM-Bird, which is usually dragged below a helicopter, is now operated for the first time by a fixed-wing aircraft. The EM-Bird is towed under the hull of the aircraft by means of a winch for take-off and landing. For the surveys, the probe is towed on an 80 m long rope twenty metres above the ice surface. More extensive areas can now be investigated due to the longer range of the aircraft in comparison to a helicopter.
UPDATE: more on the EM-Bird probe (h/t to Ron de Haan)
EM-Bird
Electromagnetic (EM) induction sounding for ice thickness measurements is a technique that can achieve long profiles of some kilometer length. The accuracy and robustness of the EM method has been evaluated by comparing coincident drill-hole and EM measurements. Read more (Poster, pdf, size: 156 kB)
Sure beats hauling a sledge and a broken home-built ice radar around doesn’t it?
h/t to “yddar” and Lubos Motl
Jeff B. (16:55:36) :
They had a DC-3 parked outside of OMSI when I was a kid. I spent many days checking it out.
They moved, and now there’s no room for the bird. Instead, there’s a submarine parked out back.
Too bad it’s an SS, and not an SSN: could make an “OMSI Under the Ice” Expedition.
bsneath (20:41:49) :
FUNNY!!
“philincalifornia (20:44:12) : then the eisdickenheads can come home ???”
Maybe I’m tired and punchy, but this is funny too!
Sooo, I guess the “sensor drift” satellite malfunction was going on
last year too. Wow, I sure hope they get it calibrated….I mean fixed!
“A catlin was a long, double-bladed knife used for surgery, commonly amputations.”
No doubt very useful if you have severe frostbite, what goes around comes around.
That the Germans are reporting larger eisdicken than an English expedition is unsurprising. This rivalry has been going on for centuries.
Yeah, Steve, I run by the sub all the time on the promendae trail there on the Eastbank. And yeah Pamela, they ruined OMSI. When I was a kid it was a really hands on place filled with great exhibits that carefully explained and allowed a kid to experiment with electricity, magnetism, force, pressure biological concepts, etc. OMSI is a large part of how I was inspired to become an engineer. Today they have a whole floor dedicated to whining about AGW. And there’s cavernous wasted space that unlike the old museum by the Zoo, reduces the classrooms that taught kids after school. And the Gravitram is now hiding far from the main entrance. Bank then you could buy chemicals in the store and it was more like a lab supply. Today it is more like every other schlocky overpriced gift shop. It’s sad, but folks like those who run Portland have dashed our culture and make their strongest efforts now to indoctrinate rather than inspire and teach.
There is still some of the old OMSI spirit left at the Exploratorium in SF. But I am sure that will soon be replaced with a giant IMAX running Algore hysteria 24/7.
G Alston (21:54:23) :
That the Germans are reporting larger eisdicken than an English expedition is unsurprising. This rivalry has been going on for centuries.
Too funny!
Apologies Anthony, I don’t know where else to post this, but for your further information re the above from Raff:
“Raff (15:26:20) :
Anthony – this is off the topic. There were two brilliant articles (Jan Veizer and William Kininmonth) published by The Australian lately: here the links:”
I have also just read a half-page letter from William Kininmonth in today’s Australian Financial Review (29.04.09), giving the most succinct, reasoned and irrefutable rebuttal of AGW science and politics that I seen. It is couched in calm, apolitical, realistic scientific terms for the educated layman, and will be read by every banker, company director, stockbroker and financially astute politician in the country.
The AFR is the local equivalent of the London Financial Times, and equally authoritative, as the financial community are only interested in the actual facts. William Kinninmonth is of course the former head of Australia’s National Climate Centre.
Unfortunately I don’t have a link to the letter for you, as I only have my paper copy and am not subscribed to the AFR’s rather expensive online service (perhaps another Australian reader has?).
But this letter, plus the similar articles in the Australian Newspaper online and the current book by respected geologist Prof. Ian Plimer will have a significant effect on the opinions that matter here in Australia.
Elsewhere in the paper there is an article describing an endorsement that Primie Minister Kevin Rudd’s Climate Change Minister Penny Wong feels she has had from Barrack Obama for her carbon cap-and-trade policies. But I think they may end looking like King Canute, with wet socks.
With regards,
Larry Kirk
You’re more or less correct Florian…dicke typically translates to ‘thick’. However it’s also used descriptively, in which case the implied meaning is ‘fat’. Example: a popular WWII German comedienne used a pig in his routine; the porker’s name was, ‘Dicke Hermann’. [And no, he wasn’t shot…]
G Alston (21:54:23) :
That the Germans are reporting larger eisdicken than an English expedition is unsurprising. This rivalry has been going on for centuries.
——————————
Oh dear …. “My eisdicken is thicker than yours” ???
REPLY: OK OK enough fun, let’s leave it at this. – Anthony
I’m going with the Germans on this one.
How does 2009 look compared to 2008?
http://arctic-roos.org/observations/satellite-data/sea-ice/ice-area-and-extent-in-arctic
Is it time for alarmists to be alarmed? Maybe it’s time for them to have sleepless nights like they have caused in children!
Leon Brozyna (15:24:30) said…..
“If “Eisdicken” translates to “ice thickness”, what does Catlin translate to? Disaster? Catastrophe? Misery?”…….
Howabout……. Stupidity?
LoL 😉
Anthony,
Are you saying size doesn’t matter or that it’s just OT?
REPLY: I’m saying that if we don’t stop with the jokes, some posters are going to get [snipped] – Anthony
I think 2009 is bigger than 2008! That ‘ice thickness’ wins! Is it from Africa?
Ok, I’ll leave it at this and respect the wishes of the moderator, and boss here. 😉
A totally dumb question: that thing looks like a nuclear rocket!
Has the thing been validated using independent direct measurement (i.e. drilling a hole down through the ice until you reach water……..)?
After all, policy may well be significantly affected by results of this kind, so it’s as well to know that the measurement kit is robust, reliable and reproducible…
That’s not a given in the world of sensors, I have to say………
Leon Brozyna (15:24:30) :
If “Eisdicken” translates to “ice thickness”, what does Catlin translate to? Disaster? Catastrophe? Misery?
~~~
expendable AGW pawns.
Regarding putting off the senate AGW legislation to 2010.
They are one seat away from a fillibuster proof majority with Spector becoming a Democrat today.
They will probably hold off on any big legislation for the results of the still ongoing Minnesota senate race. Then legislation can be brought without contest.
I am a fan from Prof. Miller from the Afrad-Wegener-Institut: http://www.awi.de/People/show?miller
I have read some Interviews (only in german) and can say: very seriously.
He is not a “sceptic” but he is also not an alarmist.
Free science without ideological influence.
>>Pity they didn’t run a survey leg over the Catlin team
>>just to rub it in.
Indeed, why did they not do this to calibrate their equipment with real measurements? Probably because they would not trust any data comming out of such a political enterprise as the Catlin expedition.
.
Well Phil. (20:05:36) I did rank “eis-dick-en by swimming with the ice” to be more dangerous than flying since getting your feet wet can actually cause frost bite and lead to lost lives, limbs, and digits such as toes… I also stated that flying was “riskier” than using satellites… so it’s a matter of perspective… and likely accuracy… I wonder which is more accurate? the plane style eisdicken survey the germans conducted or an arctic satellite fly over… certainly the satellite would give greater area coverage. Note that flying planes is still dangerous, but likely a lot less dangerous than walking across the arctic ice pack as it melts in the sping time when taking the plunge to measure ice thickness with your hands makes no sense… might as well be eis-dick-en instead… certainly it’d be more fun. I suppose the only advantage of being in a remote place like the arctic is that when (and IF) you return you might find that you’re the only ones to have survived the plague that hit while you were having fun losing toes up north while hugging the ice… Nothing like hands on science I suppose.
I support smart science rather than stupid scientist games and travels.
Come on you guys don’t you know the difference between weather and climate?
Has this study been peer reviewed?
Furthermore how can they possibly be more accurate by actually measuring the ice thickness than if they stayed in their office and reported the thickness from computer models?.
Mr Gore has recently informed us that Black Carbon/Soot is now as big a threat as CO2 emissions.
I have wrtten to him recently to suggest that as the Planet has reached tipping point, the only way forward is to dye the snow and ice black until such time as the evil of CO2 is under control. Also to assist with further cooling the sand and rock outcrops of the major deserts of the would could also be dyed black.
It will be very important to use paints with the correct patina in order to ensure that only a certain amount of energy is reflected and just sufficient absorbed to maintain oscillatory temperature variation.
I must not take full credit for the idea of dying the sand black, as this idea was imparted to me whilst studying my degree in camel hygiene at Swindon University.
Trust me for to be sure for some of us green is the new brown gravy train?
While I think the current developments in ice situation is interesting indeed, I think we should wait until later in summer before glouting too much.
Eyballing a set of curves like the JAXA, I think it is evident that the largest interannual differences are found at the extremes of the cycle. I would think oceanic heat content only can explain a part of these differences, and
expect that wind and current patterns is at least an important contributor.
In winter at the polar periphery, e.g the Okhotsk Sea and The Barents Sea, and for the summer/autumn minimum, closer to the central part of the polar basin. Hence we may still experience a rapid ice loss if wind and current patterns are favorable for ice transportation.
Anyway, allthough I will not glout, I am open for a bet: I am reasonably certain that the summer ice area in 2009 will be close to 6 mill km2, i.e. within the 1979-2007 mean.
Cassanders
In Cod we trust
Amazing, Catlin with their high tech state-of-the-art equipment trudging on foot versus a Dakota that could be nearly 70 years old towing an airborne torpedo with a fan on the end!
Luuve the Plane!