This will be a top “sticky” post for awhile since interest is high – new stories will appear below this one – Anthony
UPDATE: Josh channels the boat people
UPDATE2: Another irony is discovered, this one doubly deep. See update 2 below.
UPDATE4: AMSA: Helicopter rescue of Akademik Shokalskiy likely to commence shortly
(It’s off again, then now its on again, with report the helicopter has landed)
UPDATE5: All the passengers (tourists and scientists) are off the ship
UPDATE6: Tough questions need to be asked
UPDATE7: Trouble on the rescue ship – reaching open water not so easy
As we reported previously on WUWT here and here, the saga of the “climate scientists/tourists trapped in ice” continues to fascinate many. Now a second ship has given up on rescue, after the Chinese ship “Snow Dragon” gave up two days ago. The Aurora Australis has abandoned rescue of the trapped Russian “research”vessel in Antarctica and a helicopter evacuation in now being ordered. This episode has taken on a heightened comedic fiasco-like quality.
Now, with such a fantastic failure in full world view, questions are going to start being asked. For example, with advanced tools at their disposal (that Mawson never had) such as near real-time satellite imaging of Antarctic sea ice, GPS navigation, on-board Internet, radar, and satellite communications, one wonders how these folks managed to get themselves stuck at all. Was it simple incompetence of ignoring the signs and data at their disposal combined with “full steam ahead” fever? Even the captain of the Aurora Australis had the good sense to turn back knowing he’d reached the limits of the ship on his rescue attempt. Or, was it some sort of publicity stunt to draw attention? If it was the latter, it has backfired mightily.
One might argue that with photos like the one below, this whole “Spirit of Mawson” research expedition, is little more than a media stunt.
Source: [ http://twitter.com/GdnAntarctica/status/412977161323036672 ]
Even after the ship was trapped, these reporters still had a party like atmosphere going on:
Source: [ http://twitter.com/GdnAntarctica/status/416881634273525761/photo/1 ]
Yesterday, Andrew Revkin tweeted something that I agreed with, especially since so many of the people trapped in the ice on the ship seem to have a nonchalant, almost partly-like atmosphere going on.
Scientist on trapped Antarctic ship: "Fantastic-I love it when the ice wins & we don't." http://t.co/UsxA2tiV2i What about rescue risk/cost?
— Andrew Revkin 🌎 ✍🏼 🪕 ☮️ (@Revkin) December 29, 2013
Yes, the cost and risk is significant. These folks trapped on-board don’t seem to be cognizant of that issue, following the #spiritofmawson Twitter feed, it’s like watching reports (with pictures and video) from a high school class party.
And here’s the kicker. Even the public saw through the charade at the beginning. Trying to get crowd funding from the public for this trip failed miserably as this Indigogo campaign shows:
Source: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-us-return-to-mawson-s-antarctic-hut-the-home-of-the-blizzard
Maybe it had to do with the ridiculous image of Professor Chris Turney in full cold weather gear standing in the midst of a tropical forest.
Right after the ship got stuck and there was a realization that the world was watching, one scientist on-board, Dr. Chris Fogwill, of the University of New South Wales, decided that it would be an opportune time to hit the public for money again:
Source: http://www.spiritofmawson.com/
And again, the public has seen through this, and today, the campaign remains stuck at $1000 with just a few donors. People are realizing that there’s no real science being done on this trip, and that it seems to be little more than a chartered party boat for Antarctic enthusiasts and media.
Now, with the ship to be evacuated via helicopter, will the Akademik Shokalskiy join the list of recent ships that have been sunk in Antarctic waters?
Ships that have sunk in Antarctic waters in recent years (h/t to David Archibald)
The Brazilian yacht “Endless Sea” sank in Maxwell Bay, Ardley Cove on Saturday 7th April, 2012. It was used for “scientific and educational expeditions”.
The sunken remains of the 76-ft Mar Sem Fin, aka “Endless Sea”, which sunk on April 7, 2012, lies at a depth of about 9 meters (30 ft) in Ardley Cove, Antarctica.
In November 2007, the Linblad Explorer hit sea ice and sank.
In April 2013, the Chinese factory fishing ship Kai Xin caught fire and sank near Bransfield Strait at the Antarctic Peninsula.
And there are others, these are just a few recent ones.
With so much concern for the pristine environment of Antarctica, one wonders how much environmental damage these sinkings are doing.
And when the trip is nothing more than a party for your friends and media, disguised as a “scientific expedition”, one wonders if there shouldn’t be some moratorium on such trips.
Richard Tol summed it all up nicely with one sentence:
There has been a strong and statistically significant upward trend in climate-change-related public-relations disasters #spiritofmawson
— Richard Tol (@RichardTol) December 30, 2013
UPDATE:
The #spiritofmawson hashtag is now getting competition from the hashtag #ClitanicDisaster in honor of the trapped climate scientists that the MSM won’t mention as being climate scientists.
========================================================
UPDATE 2:
reader Aphan writes on 2013/12/31 at 7:16 pm
I don’t know if anyone was posted this yet, but the IRONY just gobsmacked me.
The British “explorers” on board the MV Explorer who were “commemorating the Spirit of Shackleton” found themselves repeating HIS adventure when their ship struck a piece of submerged ice and then SANK in the Antarctic in November of 2007! None of the passengers or crew were lost. But HOW AMAZING is it that both the “Spirit of Mawson” trip AND the “Spirit of Shackleton” cruise trips ended in disaster from sea ice?????
http://www.jamescairdsociety.com/shackleton-news-104519.htm
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/news/explorer-sinks-antarctica.html
I mean…come on. What are the odds?
============================================================
Related articles
- Saving the Antarctic scientists, er media, er, activists, er tourists trapped by sea ice (wattsupwiththat.com)
- Antarctic rescue mission fails to reach trapped ship (theguardian.com)
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The whole charade is obviously science fiction (after all, this is the 21st century…). One beloved academic definition of SF being that it consists in the “literalization of metaphor”. This is the Ship of Fools made flesh, or metal, or whatever.
Can we already nominate these pinheads, er, climate scientists, for the Darwin Awards? Or do we have to wait until the shoggoths have shambled down from the Mountains of Madness to snack on them?
Would that be the SkS Hubris by any chance?
.
On the second photo down with the Guardian banner I see mention of the activists being greeted by Adelie penguins. Global warming is causing real problems for the birds. We must act now to stop that endless fast ice around ALL of Antarctica! Sheesh! Fast ice – problem, pack ice – global warming, record Antarctic sea ice extent – global warming, any low Antarctic sea ice extent – global warming, average extent – global warming / disruptivity and so on………………………….
Warmists have done more environmental / biological damage to Antarctica than all the fossil fuel companies combined. Tagged penguins lose streamlined swimming skills to hunt for food, sunken boats leaking fuel and toxins into the pristine waters, garbage, human disease introduction, sewage, divers interfering with deep sea life, animal pathogens being introduced to wildlife via equipment, boots and clothing, rusting metal from sunken ships disturbing Mother Gaia deep biochemical processes and so on……………………………STAY AWAY.
PS Earlier this year there was a paper that found DOUBLE the number of Emperor Penguins than previously thought. It’s been a good year for sceptics.
Best I can find about the Akademik Shokalskiy is that it is owned and operated by Quark Expeditions which is part of TUI travel. Quark expeditions provides tours in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. I haven’t found any names for an insurance underwriter.
This tour sound about as scientific as my trip this morning that demonstrated the urban heat island effect. -15 F at home, -6 F at the airport, -16 F back at home, all within 90 minutes.
Am I reading the name of the ship correctly? ‘Akademik Shokalskiy’ is it pronounced Academic Shock alski? There could be some ironic humour in that name
WUWT says, “Now, with such a fantastic failure in full world view, questions are going to start being asked. For example, with advanced tools at their disposal (that Mawson never had) such as near real-time satellite imaging of Antarctic sea ice, GPS navigation, on-board Internet, radar, and satellite communications, one wonders how these folks managed to get themselves stuck at all.”
Allow my Global Circulation Model to respond:
“This was a triumph. I’m making a note here – a huge success. It’s hard to overstate my satisfaction. AGW Science. We do what we must because we can. For the the good of all of us, except the ones who are dead. But there’s no sense crying over every mistake. Now these points of data make a beautiful line…”
tommoriarty says:
December 30, 2013 at 10:48 am
This is just the start of the Southern Hemisphere doom…
http://climatesanity.wordpress.com/2013/12/26/time-to-recognize-approaching-southern-hemisphere-disaster/
Thanks for the good laugh Tom, awesome!
Have they rung the Lutine bell at Lloyd’s yet?
He misses his banana and peanut shakes?
Cash crops I believe?
How do they get to market.?
Look, if one can be accused of being unconsciously a racist then why not unconsciously a hipocrite?
As an aside if we do away with the industrialised culture we have built up then it’ll be bad backs all round……
I will mitigate my comment by saying that he does seem like a genuinely decent guy who is trying to do the right thing and means well and I just hope this whole affair causes a paradigm shift in his head when he returns…and safely.
Ah well
I’m posting my comment here as well as the original at the Guardian because I have little faith it won’t be stalinised there.
Congrats! Your tax dollars partially funded the tourist trip to the Antarctic. Way to go “US Antarctic Program”!
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2013/12/30/no-antarctic-warming-since-1979/
Gary P says:
December 30, 2013 at 3:49 pm
Thanks… hers is a bit on Quark Expeditions
http://www.marketvisual.com/d/285faa46-74da-4d18-a1be-0b95baaa16ec
Question: Where have all the money gone…. Those so called scholars who claims Global Warming is the reason for the ship’s prediction are they being paid by the fiction film industry or what? It’s not possible that all extra AWG taxes and collected money to “save Ice Bears” in Arctic have been used to spend on partyships? Is it?
Jha shared his fingers seemed at risk because of the elements. What of his unprotected but growing nose?
@Jones 3:45.
Priceless, was that a flicker of reality creeping into cognition?
I wonder what the captain and crew think of these partyers. I wonder why the captain didn’t veto this stunt if he realized that it might endanger his ship.
Interesting photos…Antarctic exploration 1915…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/30/lost-antarctica-photos_n_4519375.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Canada
I wonder what chopper they have onboard now?
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2011-12/09/c_131297030.htm
Or maybe, like they said: A little putty here, a little paint there & new like a baby…
re: Will Nelson says: December 30, 2013 at 12:45 pm
________________
The models are accurate. Are you implying the ice really exists?
ROFL! Thanks so much to all for the humor… polaroids, bipolar bears, etc. Would LOVE to see the “Chinese shipmates talking” bit if someone could point me to it – I think it must have been a comment on a different but related article.
And re: jones says: December 30, 2013 at 3:45 pm, re the posted Antarctic video diary…. OMG, talk about whining! These people really are clueless about priorities and the meaning of actual hardship. I mean, there he is sitting in a clearly heated cabin in pushed up shirtsleeves, and complaining about getting 6 hours of sleep on a mattress???!!! They are desperately in need of a real world lesson to open their eyes up.
http://media.theage.com.au/national/selections/el-salvador-orders-evacuations-5043403.html?next_video=true
this is the rescue attempt
It obviously has to go into the oceans because these people are full of crap.
Adrian Mann says:
December 30, 2013 at 3:33 pm
______________________
{applause}
As a boat owner I wonder what provisions they have on these vessels to keep the Generators running since on pleasure craft, the engines are normally cooled with raw sea water often via onboard heat exchangers through which pumps circulate anti freeze to exchange heat with the raw sea water. We know that much of the sea temperature data is measured via the raw water intake on large ships.
One wonders if the temperature gets real low and the vessel is stranded, if there is there a risk of loosing the power from the generators which are required to keep the ship’s heating system operating because they may require cooling water. It would seem that some alternative provision is required for ships plying the Arctic and Antarctica.
How do they cool the engines and generators.
Re the sewerage, I would guess that they have sewage treatment plants on board which ultimately discharge overboard, but how about all the rubbish and garbage?
Anyone familiar with how this is handled?
Don’t underestimate the MSM spin machine. (E.g. the Benghazi attack caused inflammatory and hateful video, Heathrow and British Rail destroyed by the wrong type of snow, the MET office has insufficient compute resources, etc., etc.).
Somewhere in the BBC someone is trying to figure out how to pin this on big oil…
Gary P says:
“Best I can find about the Akademik Shokalskiy is that it is owned and operated by Quark Expeditions which is part of TUI travel”
All the ships of this class are owned by the Russian Academy of Science and most are based in Vladivostok: Some of them are on long-term leases to various western tour operators. At one time all of them were leased out, but in recent years the Academy has gradually been putting them back to uuse as research ships as the leases expire.
Rhoda R,
This is an interesting question about the Captain’s competency. Was he begged and cajoled against his better instincts, did he (un)knowingly just go along, or did the Captain screw this up on his own? However it actually unfolded, this event is likely to be fatal to his career, even if everyone survives.