Thread: 'Global Warming' Scientists to be Rescued -- After Trapped in Ice for Over Week...

Jan 2, 9:17 AM EST


Passengers rescued from icebound Antarctic ship
By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- A helicopter rescued all 52 passengers from a research ship that has been trapped in Antarctic ice since Christmas Eve after weather conditions finally cleared enough for the operation Thursday.

The Chinese helicopter carried the scientists and tourists from the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy in groups of 12 to an Australian icebreaker, said the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Rescue Coordination Centre, which oversaw the rescue. The Aurora Australis will now take the passengers to the Australian island state of Tasmania, a journey expected to last two weeks.

"I think everyone is relieved and excited to be going on to the Australian icebreaker and then home," expedition leader Chris Turney told The Associated Press by satellite phone from the Antarctic.

All 22 crew members stayed with the icebound vessel, which is not in danger of sinking and has weeks' worth of supplies on board. They will wait until the ice that surrounds the ship breaks up.

The eagerly anticipated rescue came after days of failed attempts to reach the vessel. Blinding snow, strong winds, fog and thick sea ice forced rescuers to turn back time and again.

Three icebreakers were dispatched to try and crack their way through the ice surrounding the ship, but all failed. The Aurora came within 20 kilometers (12 miles) of the ship Monday, but fierce winds and snow forced it to retreat to open water.

On Thursday, it appeared the weather had thwarted yet another rescue attempt. The helicopter was originally going to airlift the passengers to the Chinese icebreaker on which it is based, with a barge then ferrying them to the Aurora. But sea ice prevented the barge from reaching the Snow Dragon icebreaker, and the maritime authority said the operation would have to be delayed.

A last-minute change in plans allowed the rescue to go ahead. The passengers were instead flown to an ice floe next to the Aurora and then taken by a small boat to the Australian ship, Turney said.

The Akademik Shokalskiy, which left New Zealand on Nov. 28, got stuck after a blizzard pushed the sea ice around the ship, freezing it in place about 2,700 kilometers (1,700 miles) south of Hobart, Tasmania. The scientific team on board had been recreating Australian explorer Douglas Mawson's 1911 to 1913 voyage to Antarctica.

Turney had hoped to continue the trip if an icebreaker managed to free the ship. Despite his disappointment over the expedition being cut short, he said his spirits remained high.

"I'm a bit sad it's ended this way," he said. "But we got lots and lots of great science done."

China has an interest in Antarctica, with the growing scientific power recently beginning construction on its fourth Antarctic research base. Beijing was criticized for providing modest aid to the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan in November, and was accused of letting politics influence its response.

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...01-01-18-16-52

'GLOBAL WARMING' INTENSIFIES...

Blizzard to Reach From NYC to Boston...

Blizzard Warnings...

CHILL MAP...

USA ushers in 2014 with record-low temps...

Chicago Sees Biggest Snowfall In 15 Years...

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Winnipeg deep freeze -- cold as uninhabited planet...

Early cold snap could continue through winter

“It’s going to be an interesting year,” he said. “One of the big things lurking in the background is that the 1936 drought *cycle* will be back. That was the time we had the widest extremes of temperature we have ever recorded in this country. That cycle is coming back.”

Tuesday, December 31, 2013 3:00 PM


POLO, Ill. — Baby, it’s cold outside. And Larry Acker says we could be saying that for a while.

The founder of 3F Forecasts believes the frigid weather that has visited us in December may stick around like an unwanted party guest. The Midwest is in for a cold winter following a November marked by tornadoes and a December that saw the mercury dropping below zero in some locations.

“December has been colder than normal. That should continue,” Acker said. “New Year’s Eve is going to be a tough one, too.”

That cold spell may stretch even longer, said Acker, who bases his prediction partly on historic patterns.
“The weather in general is probably going to be colder than normal, at least until the first of March,” he said. “That’s the way the cycle is working. We could have a thaw the first week in January. But we’re looking for below-normal temperatures basically through February.”

However, Mike Timlin, regional climatologist at the Midwest Regional Climate Center, pointed out that standard indicators of long-term forecasts are absent.

“For most of Illinois we’re in the no-use forecast section,” he said. “There are some hints it’s going to stay cold this winter. They don’t know for sure what’s going to happen because we don’t have a strong El Niño signal or something like that to hang our hat on.

“There’s nothing on the horizon that we’re really dreading, where we’re saying, ‘Oh boy, we’re really in for it now.’ There’s really nothing huge in one direction or another.”
Acker sees a probability of some wild swings in 2014.

“It’s going to be an interesting year,” he said. “One of the big things lurking in the background is that the 1936 drought cycle will be back. That was the time we had the widest extremes of temperature we have ever recorded in this country. That cycle is coming back.”

Plant diseases could be more of a problem than usual, Acker said. He is monitoring that and plans to release a report shortly after the first of the year.

“What we need to keep an eye on is the disease cycle — scab and diseases like that,” he said. “That’s definitely picking up.”

A continuation of below-average temperatures through the first part of the year could, however, help reduce insect populations. That is especially true for regions with relatively little snowfall.
“In case of a lot of snow cover, they can hide in the snow,” Acker said. “The snow will be an insulating factor. But on bare ground, that should kill off a lot of insects.”

He doesn’t predict a lot of snow, though southern Illinois was hit with a severe winter storm in December that resulted in as much as 14 inches of snow falling on top an ice layer.

“I don’t think we’re going to see as much snow as we’d like to see, because we’re going to want some moisture later on,” he said.

“Up here (west of Rockford) we’re still in a drought. When it’s super cold, you don’t usually have a lot of moisture. And now we’re running about 10 to 15 degrees below normal.”

Timlin also noted that many areas of Illinois could use some precipitation.

“The western part of the state is a little drier,” he said. “We’ve still got some drought issues out in that direction, and down into Decatur. Now that the ground’s pretty well frozen, we’re not going to have a lot of recharge, but maybe we can build up some snowpack in the winter and that will help as it melts off in the spring.

“Some places are doing OK, and there are a few places that are still a little bit dry. Southern Illinois is doing a little bit better.

“Even if you’re a little dry, if you have a good snowpack sitting on top of it, you feel like you’re in pretty good shape.”

http://agrinews-pubs.com/Content/New...inter/8/6/9284

Global warming could drive world temperatures up 7 degrees by 2100

Global warming scientists forced to admit defeat… because of too much ice: Stranded Antarctic ship’s crew will be rescued by helicopter

Wednesday 01 January 2014
By David Icke

Tagged:
antarctic ice sheet
Global warming scam




‘They went in search evidence of the world’s melting ice caps, but instead a team of climate scientists have been forced to abandon their mission … because the Antarctic ice is thicker than usual at this time of year.

The scientists have been stuck aboard the stricken MV Akademik Schokalskiy since Christmas Day, with repeated sea rescue attempts being abandoned as icebreaking ships failed to reach them.

Now that effort has been ditched, with experts admitting the ice is just too thick. Instead the crew have built an icy helipad, with plans afoot to rescue the 74-strong team by helicopter.’

Read more: Global warming scientists forced to admit defeat… because of too much ice: Stranded Antarctic ship's crew will be rescued by helicopter

'Stuck in our own experiment': Leader of trapped team insists polar ice is melting

‘The leader of a scientific expedition whose ship remains stranded in Antarctic ice says the team, which set out to prove climate change, is “stuck in our own experiment.”

But Chris Turney, a professor of climate change at Australia’s University of New South Wales, said it was “silly” to suggest he and 73 others aboard the MV Akademic Shokalskiy were trapped in ice they’d sought to prove had melted. He remained adamant that sea ice is melting, even as the boat remained trapped in frozen seas.’

Read more …

http://www.davidicke.com/headlines/g...by-helicopter/