9.30am AEDT Saturday 04 January 2014
Aurora Australis released from tasking in Antarctica
Xue Long’s attempt to manoeuvre through the ice early this morning was unsuccessful. Xue Long has confirmed to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) it is beset by ice.
The Master of Xue Long has confirmed to AMSA that the ship is safe, it is not in distress and does not require assistance at this time. There is no immediate danger to personnel on board the Xue Long. The Xue Long has advised AMSA it has food supplies for several weeks. The Aurora Australis was placed on standby by AMSA’s Rescue Coordination Centre Australia (RCC Australia) last night to remain in open water in the area as a precautionary measure.
The Masters of both Akademik Shokalskiy and Xue Long agree that further assistance from Aurora Australis is no longer required and they will be able to provide mutual support to each other. The Aurora Australis has been released from search and rescue tasking by RCC Australia early this morning and continues to make its passage to the Casey base to complete a resupply. It will then continue to Hobart. RCC Australia will maintain regular contact with the Xue Long and Akademik Shokalskiy.
Is this fiasco really that different than a quest for a mythical holy relic?
@Doc said: “I used the example of Todd Palin as it is generally accepted by the media that he is quite dumb, like all those on the political right.”
I’d bet Todd as well as most on the ‘political right’ knew of the dangers of Antarctica even in Summer. Which political party do you suppose these dodos in paradise support – and, more importantly, which political party supports them?
I’d love to see a movie contrasting Todd and Sarah’s outdoor experiences with this. I’d bet T&S wouldn’t leave a match stick behind let alone a couple of ships with crew.
DocMartyn says:
January 3, 2014 at 6:11 pm
“Brain dead Republican Todd Palin has won the 2,031 miles Tesoro Iron Dog off-road snowmobile race across Alaska, four times.”
@Doc said: “I used the example of Todd Palin as it is generally accepted by the media that he is quite dumb, like all those on the political right.”
So, are you PRETENDING to take the stance of the media, or are you a Maoist yourself?
Just to make MY position clear, I give you this excellent science presentation about Global Warming by the leading scientific mind of the leftist media – Al Sharpton. You had it coming.
http://suyts.wordpress.com/2014/01/03/what-alarmists-have-been-reduced-to-rev-al-clears-it-all-up/
Katabasis says:
January 4, 2014 at 4:32 am…
Dawgnaut Expeditions.
Guardian Interview…
Peanut and Banana Milk Shakes backups, bored?
Sounds really, really awful.
There are huge positive scientific benefits from this expedition.
Everyone involved in the climate science debate now knows that Antarctic sea ice is increasing and is at record levels (surprising few people understood this before).
Anytime anyone wants to say Antarctica is warming up and the ice is melting, we just need to point to this Turney expedition and show them the open water at Commonwealth Bay 101 years ago when Mawson landed there, 172 years ago when the Ross expedition sailed these waters and 173 years ago when d’Urville landed at nearly the same spot as Mawson.
Now that I’m reading more of the MSM’s coverage I’m getting truly angry. If anyone dies because of this foolish vacation I’ll make damned sure it affects our university’s climate science department – PERMANENTLY!
“That almost makes it sound like you should be disappointed if you go on an Antarctic adventure and don’t get caught in the ice for a week.”
http://news.yahoo.com/stranded-shipmates-surprisingly-cheerful-being-stuck-antarctic-ice-184957317.html
The above link is from 4 days ago and the images speak volumes.
Polar Chief NOT HAPPY: http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=939155
ClimateForAll says:
January 4, 2014 at 4:29 am
Ill paste my conclusions here, but truly, Anthony, and the mods and anyone else interested, needs to view it.
—
Interesting read, thanks for posting, I don’t know much about sea ice or that region, but that certainly looks like a lot of ice for Summer. I’d find a more clear series of before and after sat images over the past month and map an quantify it so that we can see more clearly the scale of the change.
There were some comments about the funding and it seems this is tricky to find out. Some parts are covered by an ARC Linkage (Australian Government) Grant to Fogwill, Turney, Meissner (UNSW) and I assume the grant covers mostly students, computing power, and possibly some instruments
ARC Linkage Grant: http://www.arc.gov.au/pdf/LP12/LP12R2-Listing_by_all_State_and_Organisation_2012.pdf
search for Turney and Fogwill – 2012-2015: Integrating past ice sheet dynamics with palaeoclimate in the Weddell Sea sector to evaluate
current and future change in Antarctica – $270,000
The other ARC Discovery funding Turney has is about Reconstructing changes in atmospheric circulation over the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere during the past 3000 years – $470,000 for 3 years (2013-2014) – maybe some of the funding also comes from there – but then again – we are talking small contributions only so the large chunk is still missing!
To me, the entire trip was from the start more a PR show than anything else with so many blogs, twitters, live news coverage – and this fits all into the the personality of being the center of attention. Again – think about the celebration they had aired and posted – which is an insult to people on the research stations who depend on the supply by the three rescue vessels involved – Prof. J. Chappellaz is just one of them doing research from Casey Station!
As the Armada of Fools embeds itself in the Antarctic ice, I am reminded of the last voyage of the Karluk.
The Karluk was on a poorly prepared mission to explore the Arctic which also took place in the summer. The ship became stuck in sea ice in August and eventually was crushed and sank in mid January. Fortunately the crew and scientists on board had 4 months to move the supplies from the ship onto the ice “just in case the worst happened”. Subsequently eight men died in blizzards, two more of severe illness and one was it seems murdered as the survivors turned on each other. It wasn’t until the summer of the following year that the remainder were rescued.
A fascinating account of the real life drama was written By William Laird MacKinlay who was one of the survivors.
Sea ice, it seems, is not to be underestimated even in the summer.
WillR says:
January 4, 2014 at 5:15 am
++++++++++
And he whines for his girlfriend.
Coild someone please start this guy’s historical education by tweeting him the traditional sailors’ solution to that problem – “rum, sodomy and the lash”?
They had enough of #1, & I am sure there would no shortage of volunteers to apply #3 in quite liberal doses.
A very useful essay about Mawson’s Hut is posted here:
http://www.mawsons-huts.org.au/conservation/
Interesting to see that so much effort has been put into the conservation of the place there – I hope they have closed the door properly before they left the scene!!
Also – read the last paragraph there – maybe Fogwill, Turney et al should have read the followings:
2011-12 A team of seven was selected but due to the presence of the iceberg known as B9B lodged in the entrance to Commonwealth Bay, the expedition was postponed. This proved to be a wise decision as the only visitors to Mawson’s Huts this season arrived by long range helicopters due to the presence of fast ice, blocked into the coast by B9B, the size of the ACT. The Foundation will be monitoring the sea-ice in the region throughout the year and in particular in the lead up to next season’s departure in early December 2012.
Following cancellation of the expedition, two members Ian Godfrey and Marty Passingham, were selected by the AAD to join the AAD Centenary Voyage and a third previous Foundation member Chris Gallagher, was employed as the Field Leader for the AAD shore party. On arrival at the huts, it was found that two skylight covers had blown off the workshop roof and the two Foundation carpenters managed to make vital repairs.
Ryan says: @ur momisugly January 4, 2014 at 5:51 am
…I am reminded of the last voyage of the Karluk….
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The Last Voyage of the Karluk: A Survivor’s Memoir of Arctic Disaster
Certainly sounds like this bunch. They would be sharing the same fate if not for our carbon dioxide based advanced civilization they are so keen to kill.
Which brings up the question, if they were duplicating Mawson’s expedition and they HATE CO2, why were they not on a wooden sailing ship?
The latest sitrep from the AA:
The Aurora Australis has been released from RCC (Rescue Coordination Centre) tasking and we are heading towards Casey to complete the resupply of the station. Earlier today we were moving through open water which had a reasonable amount of ‘ice blocks’ but they have now become fewer. As a result we are able to move quicker and are currently cruising along nicely at 12 knots. With a new group of people on board means a new supply of presentations. Everyone is keen to show us what they have been up to so I look forward to letting you know what topics are covered as they occur. All on board are well and settling in to their new home. Cheers Leanne and Mark
https://secure3.aad.gov.au/proms/public/schedules/display_sitrep.cfm?bvs_ID=19319
DirkH says:
January 4, 2014 at 5:09 am
_______________________
Dirk, Dirk…slow down, man and enjoy a cup o’ reading comprehension. From what you’ve said in past, I don’t think that English is you first language, so I can see how you might be missing what Dos is saying. I’m gonna explain it to you.
In the US, liberals believe themselves smarter and “better” than everyone else and continuously castigate the Palin family and all other political conservatives.
Here at WUWT, we have reports of Turney’s “expedition” not only unable to fix one of their ice vehicle’s carburetors, thus slowing their journey, but they also “lost” one entire Zodiac!
Are you starting to understand the comparison which was made, above?
Jack Arnold says:
January 3, 2014 at 4:04 pm
The warmists continue to endanger us all by their propaganda lies. I hope that at some point they are dismissed from their tax payer funded positions. That is what burns me the most….they are funded by taxpayers. They take our money at the point of the gun of government to follow their own fevered dreams, never once held to account for their idiocy.
Amen! The blinded feverish CAGW’s should remind everyone here and I mean everyone, of the 1930’s development. Replace the Jews with “climate deniers.” They would gladly lock climate deniers up in FEMA camps, Followed by starvation, executions, torture, and despicable experiments on humans. Just pay attention to their threats. Their blinded faith driven belief in saving themselves from YOU is seen in every word of their hate.
stan stendera says:
January 3, 2014 at 11:09 pm
Another Freudian typo? An earlier post call the trip an “Arctic exhibition” instead of “expedition” — a very appropriate substitution in my opinion. But an “expiation” is an act done to make up for wrongdoing, which seems, if I may say, the “polar appostate” of the case here.
What is the carbon footprint of all this? They will have to go to Al Gore and repent.
Last nite on the Lou Dobbs show on Fox Buss News here in the U.S..
Lou had on some guy who must be well known , (I did not catch his name) and Lou was taking the idea that Global Waming/Climate Change was a crock. But the guy sliped in the ” You have to be a expert to know, “Most Experts Agree That The Tempature Will Rise” . The guy gave some wild number like 14 F up or some such….
That is what must be stoped with facts some how.
How about a class action law suit over the tax money wasted, the people killed due to no heat, the poor freezing to death, crap like this where others pick up the tab for these loons and their silly lie based “con”.
Go on offense get off the deal of just defense.
In dispute of this being largely a sightseeing tour with only a few scientists on board: http://www.spiritofmawson.com/
Click menu and then the drop tags to find:
03 Leaders
24 Scientists
18 Graduate Students
05 Media
AkA 50 related to the ‘science’ experiment. Only 2 TOURISTS!
You’ll also find a tab for supporters.
OLD DATA says:
January 4, 2014 at 7:01 am
____________________
How are 5 Media types related to the science in any way?
So what have I learnt from the MSM today?
I have learnt that it is now winter in both the Northern Hemisphere and the Antarctic!