From radio 666 ABC in Canberra, Australia, full audio follows.
Tony Fleming, director of the Australian Antarctic Division tells Louise Maher the AAD wasn’t linked to the Australasian Antarctic Expedition despite an implication by the expedition head that he had an “official stamp of approval”.
The expedition was brought to a halt when its ship became trapped in ice, stranding the 52 tourists and scientists on board.
A Chinese ice-breaker which went to its rescue of the Russian ship also became stuck in the ice. The ship’s passengers were airlifted to an Australian ice breaker Aurora Australis – which is due to reach Hobart in about a fortnight.
Tony Fleming says the AAD will make efforts to recover the cost of the rescue which set back their own missions.
Listen to the audio:
========================================================
UPDATE: Reader “flawed argument” writes:
A minor point Anthony,
Professor Turney “implied” approval in his Nature article but he absolutely said it in his Guardian article available at the University of New South Wales newsroom (http://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science/chris-turney-responds-critics-antarctic-science-expedition)
“We worked on our research programme with the Australian Antarctic Division and other bodies and the expedition was considered significant enough to be given the official stamp of approval.”
Not much chance he simply misconstrued an environmental impact permit from AAD – he certainly is being deceptive in that article.
Moreover, the University of New South Wales kept tweeting the article as late as yesterday in Professor Turney’s defence, hours after Dr. Fleming’s radio interview. Presumably they hadn’t got the memo from Dr. Fleming yet. Amazing that Professor Turney was still self-promoting from Aurora australis last night with a puff piece from the BBC but hadn’t let his employer know that his (now) hosts the AAD were not amused.
I want to know who’s paying for the milk shake machine!
The Christmas Present that keeps on giving.
The AAD is repudiating this expedition? Things are getting interesting. I wonder how secure Turney is feeling at this point.
Not that it changes anything but all I ever see in these articles is ” 52 scientists and tourists”. Does anyone know the actual breakdown between these two groups?
Like an Albatross will this expedition weigh on Professor Turney, wrapped around his neck as his reward for his lack of vision.
We all paying for this global warming hysteria. You and I will pay at the end of the day.
One might imagine Prof. Turney will pay a price too but he will now just be a hero in the climate science community getting invited to all the great global warming parties from now on. He will actually benefit financially from this disaster. Such is this dismal science
Thrown under the
bus…ice breaker.I think Prof. Chris(tmas) Turkey just got thrown under the bus.
It remains to be seen what happens to his position at UNSW. Perhaps a Salby? with frosh recitation classes only?
The Party Boat got busted, ha ha ha. Science wasn’t sanctioned, and a glacier slid off the the continent due to man-made global warming and ate their homework.
I wonder if they’re still partying ?
I would hazard a guess that their insurers aren’t.
A minor point Anthony,
Professor Turney “implied” approval in his Nature article but he absolutely said it in his Guardian article available at the University of New South Wales newsroom (http://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science/chris-turney-responds-critics-antarctic-science-expedition)
“We worked on our research programme with the Australian Antarctic Division and other bodies and the expedition was considered significant enough to be given the official stamp of approval.”
Not much chance he simply misconstrued an environmental impact permit from AAD – he certainly is being deceptive in that article.
Moreover, the University of New South Wales kept tweeting the article as late as yesterday in Professor Turney’s defence, hours after Dr. Fleming’s radio interview. Presumably they hadn’t got the memo from Dr. Fleming yet. Amazing that Professor turney was still self-promoting from Aurora australis last night with a puff piece from the BBC but hadn’t let his employer know that his (now) hosts the AAD were not amused.
In the unlikely event of career difficulties Professor Turney can rely on an impressive resume – in reverse chronological order:
1. Leader of “Ship of Fools” expedition
2. One of the “et als” on the disgraced and withdrawn Gergis et al paper
etc.
@ David in Michigan
The numbers vary (even the 52 becomes 54 at times). But from all I’ve read, the nearest breakdown is:
9 scientists
18 PhD students (helpers)
25 or 26 “scientifically minded” tourists (who helped as well but spent much of the time falling off Argos or through cracks in the sea ice).
Tony Fleming says the rescue operation became necessary because the Russian captain reported his ship in distress. Apparently that takes priority over such things as resupplying the scientific operations. Had he just accepted Anthony’s estimate that the weather would break around the 8th of January, perhaps the whole thing could have been avoided. But then we would have missed all that fun!
@ Scute
Into which of those categories would you fit Prof Turney’s wife and two kids? If “tourists” I wonder whether they ponied up the 15K that the other tourists did.
The “tourists” included the two Guardian journalists the BBC journalist and Janet Rice, the Australian Green Party senator elect who were all teeing up for a Global Warming propaganda fest and then went conspicuously quiet after they got stuck.
Janet Rice blogged about Global Warming in the Antartic while neglecting to mention the ship had to turn back almost 180 degrees when 80 miles off the coast when beaten by solid pack ice. That was days before they arrived anywhere near Commonwealth Bay and they had already been ploughing through 80-90% pack ice for a day before admitting defeat.
They eventually found another route. All the info above is corroborated by the Guardian video of 14th December on their Antartica blog and by the ship location map on the SpiritofMawsaon web site. The map has annotations saying they turned back due to pack ice.
“given the official stamp of approval”
You can but them at office supply stores. Along with a built in ink pad. The word “Approved” in backward letters.
Stamp. Stamp. Stamp.
@ Lance
Hi, we crossed posts. Turney’s wife is a scientist so she may be counted as one of the 9, I’m not sure. The children are definitely part of the tourist portion, and yes, others have asked about who funded their passage as well.
One interesting thing was that I was watching the SpiritofMawson blog from the 26th to 30th December and there was nothing posted on the 27th, 28th and 29th. I know that because I checked every day until I read Turney’s 30th December post (now post-dated to keep it as a sticky- it’s the one with the two satellite images). I remarked on the sudden silence in a comment here at WUWT. A few hours later there were several posts from various members of the tourist contingent, dated 27th, 28th 29th and saying what a great time they were having.
Climate Scientists @ClimateSystem 4 Jan
The Australian Antarctic Division and other bodies gave the official stamp of approval for AAE. #spiritofmawson http://www.theguardian.com/science/antarctica-live/2014/jan/04/antarctic-expedition-was-worth-it-chris-turney …
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UNSW, mmmm, where have I heard that institution before?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-12/trials-of-skin-cancer-drug-dz13-suspended-amid-misconduct-claims/4881622
Gee he could always try kickstarter or similar, what was the last total?
Oh yeah around $500?
This unauthorised use of official organisations is not new to the labgeen brigade – shades of our late and not-so-lamented PM?
UNSW is living up to its snide nickname “Kensington High School” with such stunts as this debacle.
Chris Turney will face near excommunication from his colleagues among “Climate Change Scientists”. It isn’t that his whole effort was BS, that’s all any of them have to offer- it’s that he drew so much attention to the BS that a lot of it spilled over onto the whole team, like a toilet overflowing down the hall and into the kitchen.
9 Jan: Australian: Anthony Bergin: Saga of Shokalskiy breaks ice on much-needed polar conversation
(Anthony Bergin is deputy director, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, and honorary fellow, Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Co-operative Research Centre)
The head of the French Polar Institute has called the Russian ship’s cruise, with its assortment of tourists and Australian scientists, a “pseudo-scientific expedition”. It’s interesting that the voyage isn’t part of the official Australian Antarctic Science Program, and was taking paying passengers. The cruise is badged by its operators as the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, appropriating the name of the Australasian scientific team that explored part of the cold continent between 1911 and 1914, led by Douglas Mawson. It’s a bit like stealing the term Anzac for a tourist visit to Gallipoli…
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/saga-of-shokalskiy-breaks-ice-on-muchneeded-polar-conversation/story-e6frgd0x-1226797645337#
Some useful idiots trying to put lipstick on a pig as a propaganda exercise, shoot themselves in the foot. The turkey in charge inconveniences hundreds of people at great cost and puffs up his wonderful achievements. All parties put upon by this ship of fools should demand full compensation. No ifs or buts, time to pay the piper, the era of protected species of inane scientists is coming to an end. Maybe we in OZ can lead the charge.
ouch. Writer, David Roberts is the author of an account of the 1913 expedition called Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration (W. W. Norton & Co., 2013):
8 Jan: National Geographic: David Roberts: Opinion: Rescued Antarctic Group Aren’t Heroes
The passengers aboard the stranded ship felt oddly entitled, writer argues
The 52 scientists, journalists, and tourists on the ship acted entitled instead of being embarrassed by their entirely avoidable predicament.
The members of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 2013-2014 (AAE)—who intended to re-create a very small part of Sir Douglas Mawson’s original monumental expedition of 1911-14—seemed strangely blasé—even giddily upbeat—during their ten days stranded in the ice…
They even seemed to relish their crisis. The BBC quoted Tracy Rogers, the team’s marine ecologist, as saying, “It’s fantastic—I love it when the ice wins and we don’t. It reminds you that as humans, we don’t control everything …
For many seasoned adventurers, the team’s attitude was hard to swallow. It seemed to betoken a new kind of entitlement, in which folks who get into serious trouble take it for granted that other people will risk their lives to save them…
Perversely, for the general public, the hapless passengers seemed to emerge as the heroes of the story, even though they did nothing but twiddle their thumbs and wait for the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long to come to their rescue, which ended by trapping the much bigger vessel in the ice. The U.S. sent another icebreaker, the U.S. Polar Star, to rescue Xue Long and Shokalskiy, but that mission was recently called off when the ships were able to break free from the ice.
The real heroes of the story were the 101 members of the Xue Long, the 22 crew members of the Shokalskiy who stayed with their ship, the crew of the Polar Star, and that of the Australian ship Aurora Australis that powered south to receive the airlifted refugees…
Still unreckoned is that gigantic financial cost and who will pay for it.
***It seems unlikely that the dilettantes who signed up for AAE 2013-14 would soon fork over the funds to pay for their perilous and expensive rescue. They’re still too busy congratulating themselves.
As expedition leader Chris Turney blogged on January 3, safe and snug aboard the Aurora Australis, “The AAE team have been fantastic. ETC ETC
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/01/140108-antarctica-ship-ice-trapped-rescue-history-science/
Poor old Chris Turkey.
One could (almost) feel sorry for him… but then again, perhaps not!
I wonder how it feels to be single-handedly responsible for far and away the worst PR disaster for the AGW brigade since Climategate…
who would have known? Expedition spokesman Alvin Stone, (who also put out the “4 degrees” media release during the AAE fiasco), was only a VOLUNTEER!
And who can explain how “climate change” could cause the simultaneous disappearance and build-up of sea ice? Alvin Stone, media manager for AAE and ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, gave it his best shot, blaming global warming for the incident…
http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/doomed-planet/2014/01/warmisms-titanic/
LinkedIn: Alvin Stone
Current:
Media and Communications Manager at UNSW ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science
(The Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science is a major initiative funded by the Australian Research Council)
Past:
Media and Communications Manager at Australasian Antarctic Expedition
November 2013 – January 2014 (3 months) Sydney
I volunteered to assist University of NSW’s academics Prof Chris Turney and Dr Chris Fogwill with media as they led an Antarctic expedition made up of researchers and members of the public in the footsteps of Sir Douglas Mawson.
This work included producing media releases, developing lead-up stories with interested media and looking after a range of communication aspects around the voyage. It rapidly escalated into 12 days of non-stop crisis communication after the voyage ran into trouble on Christmas Eve.
The team were repeating and extending Mawson’s scientific work in Antarctica when the Expedition’s ship, the Akademik Shokalskiy, was trapped in the ice.
For 13 days, I looked after all media communications for the expedition by myself in a story that went around the world and persisted at an extremely high level of activity for 10 days. This included more than 1000 media requests for interviews and images.
Until they were rescued by the Aurora Australis, I looked after all media running on around five hours sleep a night, at best. I arranged interviews, kept abreast of social media and suggested certain video uploads. I communicated with the leaders using SMS, Skype messages, email and satellite phones when the weather was good but communications were intermittent and delays in response could be as much as 12 hours.
I also acted as spokesman for the Expedition when it was out of contact with the rest of the world and was interviewed by major news organisations in the US, UK, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the Middle East. Because communications were, at best, intermittent, interview blocks with crew members regularly blew out and often had to be rescheduled.
This level of intensity only eased two or three days after the rescue.
On January 5, a University of NSW team took over media communications, 2-3 days after the rescue, so I could resume my full time position with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science…
Media and Communications at WWF-Australia
I played a major role in the communications of WWF-Australia’s climate change media.
Editor, Assistant Editor, Features Editor, Sub Editor at Fairfax Community Newspapers
http://au.linkedin.com/pub/alvin-stone/41/146/625
11 Jan: UK Spectator: Mark Steyn: Global warming’s glorious ship of fools
Has there ever been a better story? It’s like a version of Titanic where first class cheers for the iceberg
But still: you’d have to have a heart as cold and unmovable as Commonwealth Bay ice not to be howling with laughter at the exquisite symbolic perfection of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition ‘stuck in our own experiment’, as they put it. I confess I was hoping it might all drag on a bit longer and the cultists of the ecopalypse would find themselves drawing straws as to which of their number would be first on the roasting spit…
http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/9112201/ship-of-fools-2/
I look forward to the forthcoming papers from the scientific data collected during this voyage of the minnow.
Oh goodness Alvin Stone…
A. “I was so incredibly busy I can be forgiven for just making stuff up on the spot”
B “Despite the intensity, I have managed to keep my LinkedIn profile completely up to date, because I have a feeling I’ll be needing a need job soon”
C. “When I say “volunteered”, I meant lent to Chris Turney’s private venture from my Australian Research Council funded position, of which Professor Turney is a co-Director. I don’t mean I actually gave up any of my Australian taxpayer funded salary. None of us do that when we are holidaying or selling our books. Don’t be silly”.
D. “The UNSW communications team took over when it became apparent this was a right royal f…up and they don’t have to give their names when they pass on bulls..t”.
E. All of the above.
Confined to quarters. Forever.
How very sad.
I would observe that ‘Climate Science’ and ‘Glaciology’ do not belong to Science.
Fairfax Media, who claimed the Expedition as their own, & had Nicky & Colin on the Aurora Australis,
Nicky Phillips/Colin Cosier:
Follow Fairfax Media’s Antarctic expedition here
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/antarctic-expedition-leader-relieved-but-sad-to-leave-russian-ship-20140103-308wx.html
looking for ice cores, but diverted,
Christmas on an icebreaker (00:52)
VIDEO: Nicky says unfortunately they won’t get to wherever they planned to go to study ice cores, which is one of the main reasons she and Cosier have been in the Antarctic for 3 weeks. because a ship is in distress in Commonwealth Bay & they have to go rescue them.
Credits CAMERA/EDIT: Colin Cosier
http://media.watoday.com.au/news/national-news/christmas-in-antarctica-5037954.html
has been doing quite a PR job for CSIRO all week, as the Turney Antarctic Exhibition falls apart:
8 Jan: SMH: Ben Westcott: CSIRO ‘apologises’ for lack of research on dragons
“This morning when the film crew left, Sophie said ‘I forgot to tell them they can come back when we have a dragon’,” she said. “I told her they can’t do it now, it might be very long time but they’re looking into it.”…
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/csiro-apologises-for-lack-of-research-on-dragons-20140108-30ggg.html
9 Jan: SMH: Ben Westcott/Matthew Raggatt: Queensland girl’s Christmas inquiry fires new passion at CSIRO for dragon studies
”All her friends are now saying they want to be a scientist and Sophie says she now wants to work in the CSIRO. She’s saying Australian scientists can do anything,” she said.
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/queensland-girls-christmas-inquiry-fires-new-passion-at-csiro-for-dragon-studies-20140108-30hv4.html
10 Jan: SMH: Ben Westcott: CSIRO builds Sophie a dragon
PHOTO CAPTION: CSIRO in Melbourne has created Sophie her very own titanium dragon, modelled after Toothless from the Pixar movie How to Train Your Dragon. Photo: CSIRO
Queensland’s Sophie Lester asked for a dragon – and the world delivered…
Scientists spent two days designing and printing the dragon, using their state-of-the-art 3D printer…
CSIRO said they had received a number of offers of support since Sophie’s story went viral on Wednesday.
One special offer came from the director of How to Train Your Dragon, who saw Sophie’s request and will now also be sending her a dragon to call her own.
Seven-year-old Sophie made headlines world-wide this week after she wrote to the CSIRO asking them to help make her a dragon…
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/csiro-builds-sophie-a-dragon-20140110-30lpf.html
Is there nothing in climate alarmism that sufficiently worth while that lying about it is not necessary? It seems not.
Any news where the AS is now and where is it heading?
“The Australian Antarctic Division and other bodies gave the official stamp of approval for AAE. #spiritofmawson http://www.theguardian.com/science/antarctica-live/2014/jan/04/antarctic-expedition-was-worth-it-chris-turney …”
——————————————————————————————————————————–
X Anonymous says: “UNSW, mmmm, where have I heard that institution before?”
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-12/trials-of-skin-cancer-drug-dz13-suspended-amid-misconduct-claims/4881622
———————————————————————————————————-
From the link: “Two investigations conducted at the UNSW into allegations against Professor Khachigian and his team found that there was no evidence of research misconduct.”
Obviously, the investigations must continue for some time before they convince everyone that there is no evidence of research misconduct. But who will investigate the investigators?
[snip – sorry this comment about the station frequency is just too stupid to post – Anthony]
live ship information here:http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/
I found the aurora aust. but not the akademik S.
That site has a search feature, once I typed it correctly it located the AS on the southern tip of NZ.
Well, you can’t polish a turd, but you can roll it in glitter.
Come on Turney, Turkey or Turnip (or whatever you are destined to be known as), take one for the team, get your clothes off and cover yourself with some sticky substance for the arrival.
Definition of luck is being prepared when the situation arrives.
This expedition was caught by pack ice, due to forecasted change in wind direction and strength.
They where not prepared or did not pay notice to the forecasts.
They have shown for the whole World their incompetence in the Antarctic?
I thought both ships had escaped the ice on the 8th as Anthony forecasted and the polar star was released from rescue duty but this article seems to say the the AS is still stuck? What is the situation now? I am confused.
@Timothy Sorenson
The position of the AS on marinetraffic is not current, as she is out of reach of terrestrial AIS stations. ETA in Bluff is tuesday, Jan 14, and departure sat, Jan 18.
I think the article was written a few days ago.
Also, yesterday on BBC Radio4 they had a folllow up piece on the unfortunate explorers on the show Inside Science. This show had interviewed Turney before he went and it is implied that they were the people who put the BBC journalist onboard.
That journalist basically blames the weather and then the D-word is used to describe those who misunderstand that the wrold is doomed. There is much wailing over the abuse of hte story in the press to imply that ice isn’t following the expected decline. Although they do admit that Antarctoic ice has grown by 1%ish.
If you can receive it and have a strong stomach:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03nt8x8/Inside_Science_Antarctica_weather_and_climate_change_GM_Fish_Oils_Melanin_Fossils_Time_Travel/
There is no mention of our host’s contribution to their rescue.
However, the article on time travel and Twitter was quite empirical and interesting.
If ever we needed a sign that the ABC is evil… there it is
Chris Turney; Head of Climate Seance.
@ pat says:
January 9, 2014 at 6:54 pm
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Check out the authoritative media outlet that the UNSW’s Spirit of Mawson expedition spokesman Alvin Stone previously worked for – Fairfax Community Newspapers. As an Editor, an Assistant Editor, a Features Editor and a Sub Editor.
http://au.linkedin.com/pub/alvin-stone/41/146/625
Fairfax Community Newspapers are the free suburban throwaways that are 90% advertising, with a few local stories chucked in to fill the space between the ads. Stories that (these days) are too often just advertorial ‘media releases’ promoting local tourism or whatever. These suburban freebies make most of their money from the real estate ads which fill two-thirds of each paper.
http://ffx.adcentre.com.au/fairfax-community-newspapers-nsw.aspx
Old Ranga says: @ January 10, 2014 at 1:31 am
…Check out the authoritative media outlet that the UNSW’s Spirit of Mawson expedition spokesman Alvin Stone previously worked for – Fairfax Community Newspapers….
Fairfax Community Newspapers are the free suburban throwaways…
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Oh you mean the ‘newspaper’ you see on the floor of the post office with the big muddy foot print in the middle of it.
What I would like to know is how these fools thought they were going to get away with this exercise in propaganda in the first place.
Either they were planing to tell really big lies (And with a young boy with a big mouth on board that was not wise) or they were mesmerized by their own rhetoric.
I am sure glad their own hubris brought their plans low.
>i>David in Michigan says:
January 9, 2014 at 4:35 pm
Not that it changes anything but all I ever see in these articles is ” 52 scientists and tourists”. Does anyone know the actual breakdown between these two groups?
—————————————————————–
expedition members detailed here: http://www.spiritofmawson.com/#
Meanwhile on the Aurora australis:
– several passengers have called in the Japanese whalintg fleet to borrow a harpoon if the Greens Senator elect whines about it being a dry ship once more;
– Professor Turney breaks a world record for losing in 500 by calling open misere 130 times in a row but failing to have the cards. Explaining for the 130th how it wasn’t his fault, he just got an incredibly unlucky hand, even his wife screams “for gawds gawd sake Chris, put a sock in it. That effing voice is driving me crazy. If you giggle one more time…..”
– the PhD student studying the North Atlantic suddenly realises she is at the wrong end of the world.
Mike Jowsey…….sent the list of people on the spirit of mawson…..
Dis you have a look for yourself or did you just guess that the full compliment of scientists and guests were listed?
Because, from my count we have listed ~33 persons on the various drop downs that would have been on leg two…..not peg oners and not shore based persons mind you, jist ones on the boat at the time of ice capture.
By the way, the very last tab on the drop down supposedly showing “supporters” of the ill fated cruise……….all of them are institution or advertising banners…….they werent on the boat.
All very odd.
According to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) Member Vessel Directory 2013-2014 Akademik Shokalskiy is actually used (?owned) by a NZ tourist operator Heritage Tours.
Heritage Expeditions does not list the vessel on their website. They do advertise a tour ‘In the wake of Scott and Shackleton’ 11th January and 14th February though. You’d have to be game.
Then snuck away in another tab is Ah ha-
Mike @ 2.19 the ships berth arrangements are pictured here after some digging.
Shokalskiy is quoted as carrying just 48 passengers.
I am presuming this is the Protocol on Environmental Protection to
the Antarctic Treaty (1991) referred to by in the ABC/Tony Fleming interview. Maybe not.
Can anyone check on Wayback whether MV Shokalskiy was listed previously on IAATO. I looked early this morning and did not see it listed. Maybe I hadn’t had enough caffeine.
Amend second paragraph to:
NZ tourist operator Heritage
ToursExpeditionsAhhh
Exploring recent trends in Southern Hemisphere Icecap Melting
Prof C Turney et al, 2014
Abstract
Here we present the full and complete results of our recent South Polar expedition research.
Introduction
It has been observed that climate modellers and scientists require regular fluid intake, as do journalists. Over the past two decades, much time and expense has been incurred in attempting to find the optimum temperature for providing the necessary fluids. However this research has been handicapped by the environment in which it is being conducted, namely hostelries local to the relevant research institutes. Here, we address this issue by performing detailed and substantial research in situ in an environment being investigated for climate research purposes.
While a handful of previous studies have attempted field research of this nature, in our study we procured an appropriate research vessel adequately equipped with bars. In order to promote the best possible level of research all participants (other than expedition leaders, and Guardian/BBC journalists) were required to be self-funding for the duration of the fluid research.
Conclusions
We are fortunate in having our research mission extended by unexpected sea-ice, and as a consequence are able to accurately forecast the optimum temperature for providing gin & tonic to Guardian journalists is 3.27o Celsius, while BBC reporters require a balmier 4.19 o Celsius.
Why can’t Mr. Turkey stop his funny ways?
The ship is an ice-strengthened ship. The Russian Maritime Register is clear what the Akademik is as it lists other ships as ice-breakers on the same page as the Akademik.
http://www.rs-class.org/en/regbook/file_shipa/listl_01.php
A transcript of BBC Radio 4’s “Inside Science” progamme, broadcast yesterday and mentioned aboce by MCourthey is available here –
https://sites.google.com/site/mytranscriptbox/home/20140109_is
The recent Antarctic expedition “has been used by climate change deniers in the press, as a brickbat to beat scientists and the science”
Jessie Says:
“Heritage Expeditions does not list the vessel on their website. They do advertise a tour ‘In the wake of Scott and Shackleton’ 11th January and 14th February though. You’d have to be game.”
Heritage Expeditions is one of the best and most respected arctic/antarctic tour operators, and I would rather do ten trips to Antarctica with them than one with Prof Turney. They have a sister ship of Shokalskiy, “Professor Khromov” (which they for some reason call “Sirit of Enderby”) on a long term lease.
The tour “In the wake of Scott and Shackleton” is their traditional late summer tour to the Ross sea / McMurdo area. Normally this is no problem for a Shokalskiy-class vessel, since the Ross Sea is ice free this time of year, but this year it might be a bit difficult since there is still a belt of pack ice to cross to get into the Ross Sea.
That they only sell 48 berths is presumably because they need room for their own people (tour leader, physician, guides/zodiac operators and cooks).
No new blog entries on the Spirit of Mawson website since the 3rd of January. Perhaps they have stated a new blog – Dispirited of Mawson.
“The Buck Stops Here” …or there …or… Well, just them coming!
I’m just amazed that Canberra has a “Radio 666.” That sounds like the perfect name for a government mouthpiece radio station. Why don’t we have all of Obama’s speeches originating from our own “Radio 666?” Truth in advertizing and all.
Whenever I think of Prof.Turney’s ill-fated brief Antarctic voyage,the following lines from S.T.Coldridge’s Ancient Mariner are brought to mind:
The ice was here,the ice was there,
The ice was all around.
It cracked and growled and roared and howled
Like noises in a swound.
and
He went like one that had been stunned,
And is of sense forlorn,
A sadder and a wiser man
He rose the morrow morn.
There appears to be serious discrepancies regarding the number of people involved in the “expedition”? On ABC’s Lateline segment on the 25th Nov, Turney mentioned 85 expedition members, including some 60 scientists.
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2013/s3898858.htm
On 26th Nov, again on AB’s C Lateline there was mention of 30 berths available for tourists to accompany the “expedition”?
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2013/s3899674.htm
However only 52 expedition members were eventually helicoptered off the “Akademik Shokalskiy” (leaving behind 22 Russian crew)? Me thinks Turney stretches the truth in all he says? (and does??)
tty @8.48am
Thank you for your post.
I was unable to find ‘Professor Khromov’ (aka Spirit of Enderby) listed on the Russian Shipping link kindly provided by Jimbo. Are you able to enlighten readers where the specifications for this leased vessel may be found?
Your statement seems sound:
but would suggest that the Captain employed + Leaders of this adventure were ill-prepared, in some obscure race and/or did not heed expert advice. Maritime Law attributes responsibility with the Captain, probably much to the relief of Turney?
Unlike this from Heritage Expeditions now added
Given the sequence of events with Turney’s venture and the fact that ‘Akademik Shokalskiy’ is being used for the Heritage Expedition 17th January tourism venture in addition to the ‘Professor Khromov’ 11th Jan tour (as stated on the website) did they require immediate assistance to release the iced-in AS vessel in time for this tour date?
as of 11/1/2014 bold added
Their website is updated.
Political Junkie says:
January 9, 2014 at 4:47 pm
In the unlikely event of career difficulties Professor Turney can rely on an impressive resume – in reverse chronological order:
1. Leader of “Ship of Fools” expedition
2. One of the “et als” on the disgraced and withdrawn Gergis et al paper
3. First degree: Environmental Science, University of East Anglia (Home of Climategate)
tty,
As noted above by Steve F
It is also noted there were included in Turney’s Science Team and not the vessel or Heritage crew
Leg Two – Science team Andrew Peacock Expedition Medical Doctor and
Leg not identified – PhD Student Colin Tan Paramedic and a Clinical Project Manager for St John New Zealand (Mike Jowsey link above).
There was no mention of chef/cooking or kitchenhand skills among Turney’s crew.
Steve F – Turney’s website lists shore based and Leg 1 and 2 crew.
Bill Illis says:
January 9, 2014 at 4:41 pm
Sad – but true – Bill. Sad but true…
Prof Turney is also caught out claiming support from New Zealand’s Department of Conservation…who have rapidly distanced themselves from his “expedition”.
They say there was no support in any way shape or form for his expedition from the Department of Conservation. That now makes two organisations…one is a mistake, two is a pattern…
http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2014/01/chris-turney-lied-support-institutions/
“whaleoil says:
January 10, 2014 at 8:44 pm”
I would take what the Department of Conservation (DoC) says with a pinch of salt. Having contracted to DoC in years gone by, I am not filled with the slightest bit of confidence by what they say and do. One example would be DoC spent NZ$800,000 moving 1000 native worms from land that was going to be used for a road expansion project.
I was once responsible for asset management, SOE builds and software distribution for DoC amoung other responsilities. I was asked to distribute a new DoC logo for their workstations and thin-client terminals. I informed DoC that the .jpg file they gave me would be converted to a .bmp, drastically expanding the size of the file and would impact performance over slow links (DoC even had satellite up-links to The Chatham Island in the network) and thin-client terminals (As the logo would be “served” to the terminals). I was ordered to distribute the file anyway. Didn’t work too well!
But the trend of pretty much every organisation stepping away from his early announcements is quite pronounced. Unfortunately, the MSM here in Aus has dones it’s job in misreporting facts.
Old Ranga:January 10, 2014 at 1:31 am
Mentioned Fairfax Community Newspapers –
In October 2012 I noted an amazing Australia-wide blitz by Fairfax –
“Stale Antarctic melting ice story from last summer suddenly goes viral on Fairfax media all over Australia”
http://www.warwickhughes.com/blog/?p=1806
Tiny glimpse into workings of our pinko media helping to cover up the Oct 2012 ship stopped in ice news for AAD. No hamlet across Oz was missed out. You have to pinch yourself. Worth remembering that this is the magnitude of media manipulation we can expect from AAD if they feel the need.