There are a lot of news items in major media starting to appear about the folly of Professor Chris Turney’s tourism disguised as science expedition. Turney is now backpedaling on the idea that “climate change” caused them to get stuck. Perhaps the laughter has finally reached him. A roundup and video follows.
First, from the NYT:
Stranded Antarctic Ship Story, Like the Ice, Will Not Let Go
By CHRISTINE HAUSER
A team of rescuers from a Chinese icebreaker may need to be rescued themselves, soon after they plucked dozens of people from the Antarctic ice aboard a ship that had been stranded for more than a week.
Chris Turney, a leader of the expedition whose members were evacuated by the Chinese vessel Xue Long’s helicopter on Thursday, shared more photographs of the mission and then an update on Twitter about the unexpected turn of events in the rescue ordeal.
Full story here: http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/03/stranded-antarctic-ship-story-like-the-ice-will-not-let-go/
Here is a video of the rescue operation in progress:
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From the Guardian, authored by Turney himself, who links to WUWT in the article:
Antarctic expedition: ‘This wasn’t a tourist trip. It was all about science – and it was worth it’
Chris Turney, leader of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, says his critics are wrong: the team was prepared, the risks were known, and much was achieved
The last 24 hours have been sobering. I am sitting in the comfort of a cabin on board the Australian icebreaker the Aurora Australis, one day after evacuating the Australasian Antarctic Expedition from our Russian-crewed vessel, the MV Akademik Shokalskiy. After sleepless nights thinking about keeping everyone safe, it is a relief to know everyone is on board the Aurora and well.
There is relief, but there is also frustration over what appears to be a misrepresentation of the expedition in some news outlets and on the internet. We have been accused of being a tourist trip with little scientific value; of being ill-prepared for the conditions; putting our rescuers at risk; and making light of a dangerous situation. Others have remarked on what they describe as the “irony” of climate researchers stuck in unexpected ice.
…
Let’s be clear. Us becoming locked in ice was not caused by climate change. Instead it seems to have been an aftershock of the arrival of iceberg B09B which triggered a massive reconfiguration of sea ice in the area.
[See story below on the statement -Anthony]
Full story here: http://www.theguardian.com/science/antarctica-live/2014/jan/04/antarctic-expedition-was-worth-it-chris-turney
Note: This bit of justification in the article from Turney (bold) about the cost is laughable, he’s only off by a factor of 5-6. So much for scientific precision.
The aim of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) is to lead a multidisciplinary research programme in one of the most scientifically exciting regions of our planet, straddling the Southern Ocean and East Antarctic. Using the latest in satellite technology, we are beaming images, movies and text in an attempt to excite the public about science and exploration, inspired by one of the most scientifically successful efforts in the Antarctic: the Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-1914, led by British-born Sir Douglas Mawson. Starting out at the unbelievably young age of 28, Mawson managed to raise £39,000 in a year – equivalent to some $20-25m today. With this he kitted out an entire ship to discover what lay south of Australia.
Umm, I don’t know where Turney gets those numbers, but using the calculator provided by the Reserve Bank of Australia here: http://www.rba.gov.au/calculator/annualPreDecimal.html
I get:
$4.2 million is sure a long ways from $20-25 million, but I suppose when you are always using other people’s money, being accurate doesn’t matter.
The article with Turney’s calc is saved here as a PDF Turney-spiritofmawson-and it was worth it _ Science _ The Observer -Anthony
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Turney Backpedals! Now Says Getting Stuck In Sea Ice NOT Due To Climate Change”!
By P Gosselin on 4. Januar 2014
It appears that now even Professor Chris Turney admits blaming his expedition mishap on global warming was an astronomical stretch after all.
Yesterday I reported here, quoting flagship Swiss daily (NZZ), that his communication director Alvin Stone blamed global warming for the vessel getting trapped in ice. The whole world laughed.
I couldn’t believe it myself so I wrote an e-mail to Stone asking if they really believed this.
Stone answered circa 9 hours later:
Dear Pierre,
That is not quite the quote that I gave.
This is my understanding from talking to Chris and other glaciologists.
- The 120km long ice berg B09B that is grounded in Commonwealth Bay broke away from the continent three years ago, very likely as a result of climate change.
- B09B collided with the Mertz Glacier, smashing a large ice tongue that released the ice into that area.
- It was a mix of this ice that was blown across the path of the Shokalskiy, which led to it being trapped and explains why much of the ice surrounding the ship is old ice.
– See more at: http://notrickszone.com/2014/01/04/turney-backpedals-now-says-getting-stuck-in-sea-ice-not-due-to-climate-change/#sthash.rG7qwsHv.CeXyK3bZ.dpuf
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Australian taxpayers will pay $400,000 cost for climate scientist’s ship stuck in ice. Total cost “millions”.
The saga just keeps going. The Chinese Icebreaker is now also stuck, and has asked for help so the Aurora Australis with 52 extra passengers rescued from the Russian Charter boat have to stay nearby to help. Twenty two Russian sailors are still trapped on board the Russian boat — the Akademik Sholaskiy. Plus other scientists in Antarctica still don’t have their equipment. Costs for everyone involved are continuing to rise. Though there is a free-for-all on social media…
http://joannenova.com.au/2014/01/australian-taxpayers-will-pay-400000-cost-for-climate-scientists-ship-stuck-in-ice-total-cost-millions/
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Antarctic Debacle Probably Biggest Setback For Campaigners Since Climategate
- Date: 03/01/14 Christopher Caldwell, Financial Times
The debacle in the Antarctic ice is probably the largest setback for global warming campaigners since Climategate scandal in 2009.
When a Chinese helicopter rescued 52 passengers from a Russian climate-science cruise ship trapped in ice off Antarctica, it was a skilfully managed end to an ordeal that had begun on Christmas Eve. It was also a debacle for climate change activists. The 233-foot Akademik Shokalskiy, a Russian meteorological ship leased by the Australian tour outfit Aurora Expeditions, had been on a mission called the “Spirit of Mawson”. It aimed to replicate part of a gruelling voyage the explorer Douglas Mawson had made in 1912. The ship carried 22 scientists looking to perform various experiments, led by Chris Turney, a professor of climate change at the University of New South Wales. They were joined by 26 tourists paying for the adventure, along with journalists for The Guardian, BBC and The Sydney Morning Herald.
http://www.thegwpf.org/ft-antarctic-debacle-biggest-setback-campaigners-climategate/
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This speaks for itself, now the USA is involved:
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Even NYT’s Andrew Revkin, who has been on such expeditions himself, is calling it a fiasco:
A helpful update on several facets of the #spiritofmawson Antarctic fiasco from @RTCCnewswire: http://t.co/bdsY1Fn92Y
— Andrew Revkin 🌎 ✍🏼 🪕 ☮️ (@Revkin) January 2, 2014
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As are the French:
French Polar Chief slams SpiritofMawson fiasco
This really has been a PR debacle of amazing proportions. The ship stuck in ice has captured something larger than I would have expected. Methinks the timing must be apropos.
Good scientists are distancing themselves from the publicity hungry climate lightweights and commentators on both sides of the fence are agreeing in their criticism.
A third effect we are barely starting to see may ripple on for months — that’s when mass-media victims realize that the “Russian Tourist ship” was really a boat load of Australian and New Zealander scientists, paid for mostly by taxpayers and loaded and advised by supposedly “expert” climate scientists. This misinformation was despite the boat having BBC, and Guardian media on board, and Fairfax press in one of the rescue icebreakers. Today I see evidence of the first two effects.
From Skynews. The French chief of polar science calls the Spirit of Mawson trip “pseudo-scientific” and laments the effect it is having on real research.
The head of France’s polar science institute has voiced fury at the misadventures of a Russian ship trapped in Antarctic ice, deriding what he called a tourists’ trip that had diverted resources from real science.
More here: http://joannenova.com.au/2014/01/french-polar-chief-slams-spiritofmawson-fiasco/
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This animation is hilarious:
ACM on Chris Turney and the Akademik Shokalskiy fiasco
By Simon on 4 January, 2014
ACM on Chris Turney and the Akademik Shokalskiy fiasco
pat says:
January 4, 2014 at 5:07 pm
Turney Brainfood Lecture: “WE ARE PLANTING A HECTARE OF KAURI TREES”
He will have to plant a few more now. Please, warmists, you do the carbon accounting. Maybe one of Turney’s PhD students can compute it.
Retracing Mawson
Alarmist stunt gone awry
Crunching ice sound, brrrrr.
Still trying to find the blog by Turney on ABC Science website. Doesn’t seem to have happened, weirdly. But school teacher turned guru “Dr” Karl and his equally vapid friends are still there of course.
They’ll tell me what to think.
And unless I am very careful indeed they’ll tell my children what to think, too…
RACookPE1978 says:
January 4, 2014 at 5:05 pm
True, but to add some meat to that “might”, I checked and the Australian stations in December and January are above zero.
An example,this for the four days of January 2014
Mawson mean max 4.0C
Casey mean max 2.5C
Davis mean max 4.6
Casey mean max annual graph http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=300017&p_prim_element_index=0&p_display_type=statGraph&period_of_avg=ALL&normals_years=allYearOfData&staticPage=
So, there would be melt, not much, but some.
The thought that a conventional engine failure might end up in the scrapping of a ship boggles my mind. A ship’s diesel is massively modular and even if the failures were in the very largest components (bottom and crank?), it seems to me the cost minor compared to replacement of the hull. Replacement of a gas-turbine is trivial. Replacement of the reduction gears might be comparable to the diesel engine in difficulty and cost. I just can’t imagine the economies involved.
22 Nov: Guardian: Frances Stonor Saunders: 1912: The Year the World Discovered Antarctica by Chris Turney – review
Ad: 1912: The Year the World Discovered Antarctica
by Chris Turney – Buy the book
But the affair is tacked on to the end of the book and Turney hesitates to pursue its implications – that the morally redemptive story of Scott’s death was stage-managed to obscure a competing narrative of sauve qui peut.
The instinct to self-preservation was not put on ice by Antarctic explorers. These men may have “sallied forth”, “soldiered on”, “blazed a trail” (Turney leaves no cliché unturned), but as they pioneered a continent their conduct often fell short of the altruistic ideal…
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/22/1912-world-discovered-antarctica-chris-turney-review
steven says:
January 4, 2014 at 5:50 pm
Haikul.
Man: Albatross! Albatross! Albatross!
Customer: Peanut milk shake please.
Man: I haven’t got Peanut milk shakes. I only got the albatross. Albatross!
Customer: What flavour is it?
Doug Huffman says January 4, 2014 at 5:57 pm;
Naw, not in the case of the Polar Sea. The engine problems would be ‘incidental’ to the decision to scrap the ship. As noted elsewhere, it’s hard times for icebreakers, and especially for the biggest & heaviest.
Really bad ice so degrades shipping, even with icebreakers capable of plowing it, that other solutions defeat shipping. In not-so-bad ice, the very large – and enormously costly – icebreakers are not needed. Lighter models – such as the Aurora Australis and Xue Long – are both sufficient and less costly.
It takes a forest …
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11181470
MV Lyubov Orlova
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Lyubov_Orlova
Lyubov Orlova was refurbished in 1999, and chartered by Marine Expeditions for cruises to the Antarctic Peninsula in 2000. She underwent extensive renovations in 2002 and was subsequently chartered by Quark Expeditions for the Antarctic and Cruise North Expeditions for the Arctic.[6]
Accidents and incidents[edit]
Lyubov Orlova ran aground at Deception Island on 27 November 2006.[7] She was towed off by Spanish Navy icebreaker, Las Palmas and made her own way to Ushuaia.
I watched the video, and I didn’t see anyone thanking the Chinese pilots. Not one little clip. Any normal TV crew would put that in if it happened, so it looks as though no-one said “Thanks, guys, for flying in Antarctic conditions, and landing on ice, just to ferry us and our matching luggage to a ship that might get us home in time.” Normal people usually thank the bus driver when they get off.
@ur momisugly ROM “There wasn’t, and still isn’t any real danger to Shokalskiy.’
Hold on there. The ship was running out of booze.
This is serious enough for anyone, but the crew are Russians.
The big question of course is, who was hotter, Ginger or Mary Ann?
the basis of any penguin-population-decimated papers to come!
BBC’s Owen Bennett-Jones: are there more penguins or fewer (than a hundred years ago)?
Turney: tragically fewer. we got in (Mawson’s hut) yesterday lunch-time and, to our dismay, we found the penguin population looks like it is decimated compared to a hundred years ago.
Turney: ARGO – we put tracks on them. just sails over slush.
(5 mins): 20 Dec: BBC World Service Sound Cloud: Re-tracing the steps of a scientist in the Antarctic
http://soundcloud.com/bbc-world-service/re-tracing-the-steps-of-a
The sarcastic name for the ship may have been a little unfortunate…
I thought “Clitanic” was a 70s porn film starring Ron Jeremy. Has anyone checked that we’re not infringing copyright by adopting this monika? Perhaps Ron could make a cameo.
acknowledging the immense cost, RoHa, you don’t think that the Russian crew have sequestered their booze? Anyway, apparently the Chinese helicopter dropped off rations while lifting the sorry asses of the ***** off the ship. 🙂
Seriously, the lack of courtesy of this lot tells you everything you need to know about those who want to “save the planet.” They even had a Marxist historian on board, but when it came to acknowledging the sacrifices and danger that working stiffs experienced, it was all tears and the unicorns have saved us and ME ME ME.
The Chinese helicopter pilot(s) and supporting crew did a brave and dangerous mission, but these creeps and the supportive MSM make it sound like it was one of those rescues in a movie, where you know it’s all going to work out in the end.
Horrible, entitled brats.
Very well put, Johanna.
Why these dedicated “scientists” deserted the ship is a real puzzler.
One would have thought that they would have jumped at the opportunity to hang around to extend their scientific expedition to gather more vital data about global warming.
Unless, of course, running out of booze made further research unbearable.
As several have mentioned, this fiasco is a gift that keeps on giving.
Over eight WUWT threads with 2329 comments within a few days (and counting…), Turney’s junket is on track to eclipse the 2009 Climategate controversy, especially with regard to wide-ranging MSM exposure triggering a majority of skeptical comments despite originally dubious reporting. Main Stream Media even in land-locked countries with little Antarctic aspirations got into the act as chronicled by Pierre Gosselin of NoTrickZone. Example, the Swiss Flagship NZZ (where my own comments were first snipped and censured…) chronicling a detailed interview with Turney’s apologist.
Let’s ride this momentum toward search for scientific truth and let’s hope that there will indeed be no loss of life.
There is no doubt in my mind that the 2013/14 Antarctic research programs of Australia, France and the US have been hampered severely, and that China and Russia are also heavily invested. Scorn from these institutions coupled with insurance issues and the public back-lash will cut down the grand-standing of Chris Turney and his milkshake associates (indeed, a priceless self-interview…) – let them continue to make fools of themselves.
Nevertheless, I suggest it’s time to move beyond the rants, the taunts, the smears and the ridicule and take the high road.
Knowledge about Antarctica is pivotal to understanding of the Earth’s climate system – the exposure now created can be turned into positives. Examples: Support for Australia’s Antarctic research program under a new government, especially crucial in view of immense summer heat (check up on the good work under true Mawson spirit here: Australian Antarctic Magazine – Issue 22: Mawson Centenary Special 2012).
And… the US indeed needs a new Polar Icebreaker program! As does Canada…
cheers,
ulrich lobsiger
the missing links to my 7:01 PM comment :
http://notrickszone.com/2014/01/03/expedition-communication-director-alvin-stone-climate-warming-led-to-the-vessels-awkward-predicament/
http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-us/publications/australian-antarctic-magazine/2011-2015/issue-22-2012
Wrong, wrong, wrong. Maybe in French. English syntax doesn’t like that switch, atall, atall.
[Until everybody’s text is perfectly typed with NO formatting errors ANYWHERE and NO spelling errors in ANY dialect of ANY language are used here, the mods do not want any more snarky grammar comments from any user. Clarity requests are desired and requested, but snarks? Mod]
The AGW cult is so predictable. I predicted this type of backstroking http://cosmoscon.com/2014/01/03/the-mother-of-all-climate-ironies/ They are the true deniars.
Yawn. Populations swing by far more than 10% annually. (That’s what ‘decimated’ means – reduced by 1/10, not reduced to 1/10, as the illiterate think). And different species can vary in opposite directions, depending on their adaptation modes. And on and on. Oh, the fact that there was open water to the shoreline 100 years ago may have relevance, too.
Interesting: at the end they mention there’s a part 2 to this video but it appears to have been scrubbed from their site. I wonder what was said on that video?