UPDATE2: get a load of the hilarious announcement from the expedition, where they claim sea ice is disappearing, see update 2 below.
UPDATE3: A film (now a video) has been found from 1912 showing Mawson landing in ice free Commonwealth Bay in 1912. see update 3 below.
UPDATE4: Bad weather has forced the Aurora Australis to back off from its rescue attempt. See below.
UPDATE5: See my opinion piece on why this is a fiasco
There’s quite an ongoing worldwide fascination over the So much sea ice in Antarctica that a research vessel gets stuck, in summer! episode with the ship Akademik Shokalskiy we first reported on WUWT.
I think it was best summed up by this Tweet:
http://twitter.com/ElBuehn/status/416608616070664192
Now, after the first rescue ship The “Snow Dragon” failed:
Our rescue boat, the Xue Long, has had to turn back because the ice was too thick for it to get through. We're now awaiting Aurora Australis
— Alok Jha (@alokjha) December 27, 2013
Which we see in the distance here…
…all eyes are now on the Aurora Australis, which was trapped in ice for 3 weeks last month.
But, even that ship seems to have trouble picking through the sea ice. here is the webcam from the bow of the Aurora Australis:
![A133631800A[1]](http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/a133631800a1.jpg?quality=83)
Link to webcam: http://www.antarctica.gov.au/webcams/aurora
Supposedly, the ice around the Akademik Shokalskiy 3-4 meters thick.
Then there’s the comedy of a scientific research expedition disguised as a junket for activists and reporters, such as this guy, tweeting up a storm from on-board:
The other fellow, Chris Turney, has some science credentials, but also has a propensity for wackadoodle alarmism as we see in this WUWT post: Now it’s 2°C climate change target ‘not safe’
Mostly, it’s a media sponsored event, presumably so they can tell us how terrible things are in Anarctica with melting and such:
WUWT reader “pat” writes at 2013/12/26 at 1:59 pm
seems this expedition was more a BBC/Guardian/ABC CAGW exercise!
18 Dec: Guardian: The Guardian lays claim to Antarctica – in pictures Journalists Alok Jha and Laurence Topham have landed in Antarctica with the 2013 Australasian Antarctic Expedition Documentary filmmaker Laurence Topham lines up a shot from the bows. Photograph: Alok Jha/Guardian…
http://www.theguardian.com/science/antarctica-live/gallery/2013/dec/18/guardian-antarctica-pictures
Guardian: Laurence Topham, documentary filmmaker
In 2007 he worked for Current TV, where he edited over 50 short-form documentaries for terrestrial broadcast…
http://www.theguardian.com/open-weekend/laurence-topham
Guardian: Science: Antarctica live (MASSIVE COVERAGE, NO HINT ABOUT THE SHIP’S CURRENT PREDICAMENT!)
http://www.theguardian.com/science/antarctica-live
26 Dec: BBC: Andrew Luck-Baker: Science continues for trapped Australasian Antarctic expedition Science reporter Andrew Luck-Baker is on board the Russian research vessel Shokalskiy, covering the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 2013 for the BBC World Service programme Discovery…
Tantalisingly, a low band of grey sky to the Northeast suggests clear water lies not so many kilometres away. The grey colour is light reflected from open water. The early Antarctic explorers named this colour phenomenon “water sky” and used it to navigate their route through the treacherous pack ice…
In addition to the Russian crew of 22, the expedition team consists of 18 professional scientists from Australia and New Zealand, and 22 volunteer science assistants. They are members of the public, ranging in age from their 20s to their 70s. They paid to join the scientific adventure…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25519059
25 Nov: ABC Lateline: $1.5 million Australian expedition to Antarctica Professor Chris Turney from the University of NSW is mounting the largest Australian science expeditions to the Antarctic with an 85-person team to try to answer questions about how climate change in the frozen continent might be already shifting weather patterns in Australia.
ABC’s MARGOT O’NEILL: The research stakes are high. Antarctica is one of the great engines driving the world’s oceans, winds and weather, especially in Australia. But there’s ominous signs of climate change.
CHRIS TURNEY: The Southern Hemisphere westerly winds encircle Antarctica, and over the last 20 or 30 years or so, they’ve been pushing further south. Now – so actually in a way it’s almost like Antarctica’s withdrawing itself from the rest of the world…
EMMA ALBERICI: And tomorrow night, in the second part of this special report, could the British Antarctic explorer Robert Scott have lived? We look at how Professor Turney discovered that choosing the right team can be a matter of life and death.
Meanwhile, in the “Spirit of Mawson” Spirit of “never let a good crisis go to waste”, the folks on-board have realized the world is watching, and decided to make a pitch for money at their website, presumably to fund next year’s research media junket:
Mother nature doesn’t seem to care about the comedy either way, as Antarctic sea ice is still over 2 standard deviations above normal.
National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC) – Click the pic to view at source========================================================
UPDATE1: Thanks to Roger Tattersall “Tallbloke” who writes:
I’m amused to see Global Warmist Professor Chris Turney’s expedition to Antarctica to retrace polar explorer Douglas Mawson’s route and replicate measurements has run into a spot of bother.
Here’s an old news report on Mawson’s expedition
It looks like that part of the Antarctic was warmer in Mawson’s day than now. In fact the antarctic is currently colder than it has been for a long time. The high latitudes of the Southern Ocean have been cooling since the 1980′s according to SST data.
====================================================
UPDATE2: You can’t make this stuff up. This is from a news.com.au story covering the incident and the announcement made by the expedition:
Um, no, sea ice isn’t disappearing right now, it is growing in the Arctic and within two standard deviations:
National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC) – click to view at sourceTwo standard deviations above normal in the Antarctic:
National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC) – Click the pic to view at sourceAnd above normal globally:
Cryosphere Today – University of Illinois – Polar Research Group – Click the pic to view at source========================================================
UPDATE3:
A video has been found from 1912 showing Mawson landing in ice free Commonwealth Bay in 1912.
========================================================
UPDATE4: The Times of India reports:
SYDNEY: Bad weather on Monday forced back an Australian icebreaker struggling to reach a scientific expedition ship stranded off Antarctica, while snow and winds have prevented a helicopter rescue, authorities said.
The Aurora Australis made it to within 10 nautical miles of the MV Akademik Shokalskiy, which is stuck in an ice field, before retreating in the face of freezing winds and snow showers.
“Adverse weather conditions have resulted in the Australian Antarctic Division vessel Aurora Australis moving back into open water this afternoon,” the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.
==========================================================
Related articles
- Rescue near for trapped Antarctic ship (foxnews.com)
- Cracks in ice new hope for stranded Antarctica ship (worldnews.nbcnews.com)
- Chinese icebreaker forced to cut Antarctic rescue attempt short (ctvnews.ca)
- Rescue of icebound Antarctic ship faces setback (foxnews.com)
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@StephanL:
“I’ll bet it’s someone on the Aurora Australis who is p*ssed off that they had to interrupt a resupply mission to Casey Station in order to rescue a shipload of green/warmist fools.”
Good point. And if I were on the Aurora Australis, I’d run out there and and write “folly” underneath- there’s space for it.
On the first day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
A Mediocre Icebreaker in which to see the Southern Sea
On the second day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Two Wobbling Penquins
and a Mediocre Icebreaker in which to see the Southern Sea
On the third day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Three Useless News Stories
Two Wobbling Penquins
and a Mediocre Icebreaker in which to see the Southern Sea
On the fourth day of Christmas
my true love sent to me:
Four Radio Distress Calls
Three Useless News Stories
Two Wobbling Penquins
and a Mediocre Icebreaker in which to see the Southern Sea
On the fifth day of Christmas
…
Ok, I’m done, I always hated that song anyway.
re: “I just hope no one is seriously injured, I suppose then jokes would have to stop.”
I guess we should never wish that evil befall others, but these people have been the cause of much suffering on the part of the poor around the world. Never forget that high energy prices and high taxes to fund the “green” incentives hurt the poor the most. Plus many of the “greens” have called for a major reduction in global population — and just who decides who is murdered to make this little green wet-dream come true has not been specified.
I think these people have been the cause of much death and misery. I would not be able to suppress a grin if they met the fate they want the poor to meet. (and I would not feel guilty one little bit)
Yes Vukcevik,
We should keep some perspective, these activists are in some peril, although I’d imagine they’ll be safe with 3 rescue ships in the area. I see the jokes as fair game for the moment, but in the event of a crisis we need to think about their welfare. I would hope though that the Australian Government would take a good hard look at how it came to pass that a bunch of activist idiots managed to spend several million dollars from three governments treasuries, without so much as a “by your leave”.
“…..but in the event of a crisis we need to think about their welfare. ”
They come second place to the welfare of the crewmembers on the ships send to rescue those propaganda peddlers.
The crew are just doing their jobs but the passengers are a bunch of zealot profiteers selling politics as science.. As dirty as they come in my book.. Snake oil in a empty bottle.. It wouldn’t bother me a bit if they had to walk home..
Taxpayer funded media release.
http://www.amsa.gov.au/media/documents/30122013AkademikShokalskiyUpdate6_Media_Release.pdf
“At the end of the word ‘Green’ the ‘other writing’ is clearly a snow-angel made by someone lying down on the deck.”
I’m willing to bet the usual 5 Quatloos that at least one of the symbols in that string is an Anchor……
Hat Tip to justsomeguy31167
Here’s a map from sailwx
” Shackleton is DEAD….” Kind of like the “zealots” will be if they try to walk out, without someone
of the caliber of Ernst Shackleton to lead them.
Current cam views from the Australis show the ship is actively breaking ice.
OK all you ship guys looking for a project!
Find the engines in each icebreaker, and start calculating average fuel burns for each, plus the average fuel burn of the trapped ship making electricity for these goofs.
Post your results, and then it can be quantified for this whole fiasco. Neatness will not be graded, but the math will be.
Gentlemen, start your slide rules. Oops, giving away my age — I mean calculators.
News 20 minutes ago:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-30/bad-weather-holds-off-antarctic-rescue/5177928
The Aurora Australis is stalled in a blizzard 20 nautical miles from the Akademik Shokalskiy.
Still, no worries, eh?
Not convinced that it is actively breaking the ice, looking at the cam 4 and 8 hours ago it looks more like it is in thin/broken ice currently. The weather also looks bad with poor visibility.
http://www.camscape.com/Other/World/Aurora-Australis-Antarctic-Icebreaker-34894.php
We’ve had a good laugh (you’d need a heart of stone not too…) but seriously. Going into high southern latitudes, let alone within the ice line is a hazardous activity. Was there actually serious consideration given to balancing the value of the “research” against the risks to the participants, and indeed to any third party who might get sucked into dragging their sorry ass back to safety.
I’m happy to level the same criticism against the recent royal/celebrity South Pole dash stunt. The celebrity participants could have all donated more directly than the publicity stunt could raise from wider “awareness” . and it avoids the risk that third parties have to put their lives at risk to save yours, when there is no actual need for you to be there.
As we used to say at high school when someone farted badly – it stinks at -20°C
My high school was before AGW, hence, this one stinks even at -40°C … or less
@Luke Warmist
Sliderule is broken.
Guess: 2800 tons of CO2 for whole fiasco, including detours for 3 ice breakers and hot air spewed from propagandist Guardian reporters and tax-funded BBC reporters.
“I just hope no one is seriously injured, I suppose then jokes would have to stop.”
I’ll only match their attitude shown to me when I expressed my dismay to them (Guardian) about the 33000 who died in the cold in the UK last year.
“…just old people and undesirables ” I was told.
I have no pity for this ship of fools I only feel for the rescuers tasked to haul their butts out of there and the pollution that would result if this ship gets crushed and sinks.
They are the architect of their own misfortunes based on a huge lie that’s harming us all.
For a day-to-day stirep
Yes they are in epic stir but I think you meant sitrep.
Let me see if I can code that correctly.
For a day-to-day stirep
Yes they are in epic stir but I think you meant sitrep.
[For those not NAVSEA/MMS-fluent, a SITREP is a “situation report” – A highly stylized all-capitalized government-bureaucrazy-enabled pre-formatted daily (or hourly) report about the ship and what has happened, will happen, might happen next. Mod]
I’m not seeing that. Mon 30 Dec 2013 02:30 am. (sic)
When these chaps set off they obviously didn’t think they would get stuck. This leads me to think they sadly believed in the very expensive propaganda, propagated by them. They must be laughing among themselves at the irony and wondering how to spin stuck in ice to global warming. Never fret, Dana will soon be along to explain how the missing deeeeeeeep heat pops up once in a while to slow down the melting of THAT area of ocean. 🙂
This statement puts spin doctors to shame.
RACookPE1978 says:
December 29, 2013 at 3:48 pm
Pamela Gray says:
December 29, 2013 at 1:17 pm
I knew they would say this. Any change in anything, heck a run in my stockings, is meant to point to dangerous heavy breathing.
Pamela, “any“ combination of you, stockings, and holes in said stockings leads to points of heavy breathing …. 8<) (Ducks incoming dangerous points…)
_______________
She's a redhead, so you might be asking for it. In one sense or another.
I note they claim that the increased sea ice has freshened the water below. I’m assuming they mean it’s become more like fresh water than sea water?? I’m puzzled as to how this happens. I though the opposite would be true as sea ice is sea water sans the sea salt.
Not to mention that they claim that disappearing sea ice generally is bad but in their area increasing sea ice is bad.
It seems with the global warming crowd it’s heads they win, tails you loose (thus the new newspeak tag ‘climate change’).