Thread: The world waits to see whether ice breakers can rescue the global warming expedition

CFACT

The world waits to see whether ice breakers can rescue the global warming expedition trapped in this year's massive Antarctic ice.

Not long ago a host of yachts and research vessels thought to become global warming heroes by transiting the Northwest passage, only to likewise become blocked or trapped when nature's ice machine kicked into high gear.

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2013 has been rough on global warming.

Icebreaker gets stuck on way to rescue trapped ship

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF1Nq...layer_embedded

Published on Dec 27, 2013

A Chinese icebreaker heading to rescue a ship trapped off Antarctica now finds itself stuck in the same ice.

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Bad weather threatens rescue of stranded Antarctica ship

Andrew Peacock / www.footloosefotography.com via AFP - Getty Images
This image taken by passenger Andrew Peacock on Dec. 30, shows the ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy still stuck in the ice off East Antarctica, as it waits to be rescued.


By Tracy Connor, Staff Writer, NBC News

The ice surrounding a trapped research ship in Antarctica appeared to be cracking but weather conditions threatened the efforts of a rescue vessel Sunday, the crew reported.

"Cracks are developing around the bow," expedition leader and University of New South Wales Professor Christopher Turney tweeted as the 74 scientists, tourists and crew members on board waited for the ice-breaker Aurora Australis to arrive.

Their ship has been trapped in ice for seven days, but that hasn't slowed their inquest for knowledge. NBC's Duncan Golestani reports.

The Aurora reached the general vicinity of the MV Akademic Shokalskiy early Monday (Sunday afternoon, Eastern time). The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said it was assessing the situation.

At about 5 p.m. ET Sunday, Turney told NBC News that he expected the Aurora to reach them in "maybe a few hours."

But snow showers hampered the visibility of the crew, forcing the ship to slow down, AMSA reported at 7 p.m.

1st video at the Page Link:

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“It is unknown at this time if or when the Aurora Australis will arrive near the Akademik Shokalskiy due to weather and ice conditions,” an AMSA statement said.


Andrew Peacock / Reuters
The Xue Long (Snow Dragon) Chinese icebreaker sits in the ice pack unable to get through to the MV Akademik Shokalskiy, in East Antarctica, December 28, 2013.

The Shokalskiy got stuck in multi-layered slabs of ice more than 10-feet deep on Christmas Eve, and early attempts to break it free were stymied.

One of three rescue vessels involved in the mission, China's Snow Dragon, sent a helicopter Sunday over the Shokalskiy, a Russian-flagged ship, to assess the ice condition.

"From the air, only a very tiny glint of the deep blue sea water is visible," Xinhua News Agency journalist Zhang Jiangzhong reported. "The whole area around was covered with ice.

"The Russian ship is somewhat tilting on one side. Many people were standing on the area on the right of the ship, waving," the report continued. "After checking all sides of the ship, the helicopter returned. The captain considered that the ship and passengers are safe but the ice situation still extremely serious and still beyond the Snow Dragon's ice-breaking ability."

Eight hours later, fresh glimmers of hope appeared in the form of cracks in some of the ice, leading Turney and another crew members to make a light-hearted video they posted on Twitter:

Chris Turney @ProfChrisTurney Follow

It's all cracking up here. #spiritofmawson

Alok Jha https://vine.co/v/h9VPxLAZ1lT
4:55 AM - 29 Dec 2013

Vine @vineapp


The Snow Dragon remained near the Shokalskiy on Monday, and if the Aurora Australis also has to call off the rescue, the helicopter aboard the Snow Dragon will evacuate the stranded passengers.

The Shokalskiy was trapped during the Australian Antarctic Expedition, a mission led by Turney to retrace the footsteps of Australian geologist Douglas Mawson, who explored the Antarctic 100 years ago.

It left the port of Bluff, New Zealand on Dec. 8 and was stopped 100 nautical miles east of the French Antarctic base Dumont D’Urville.

Spirits on the ship appeared high, with several members of the team posting video diaries on YouTube.

"We're all having a good time here. The morale on the boat's excellent," Nicole de Losa said in one, adding that there would be dancing and singing on the ice later.



NBC News' Eric Baculinao and Duncan Golestani contributed to this report.

This story was originally published on Sun Dec 29, 2013 7:33 PM EST

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2...tica-ship?lite&

Australian ice breaker blocked. Climate researchers remain trapped in ice. Helicopter next?

December 30, 2013 by CFACT Ed, 1 Comment

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The dramatic spectacle of global warming researchers trapped in ice continues as climate change professor Chris Turney and his expedition remain trapped in this year’s massive southern sea ice.
Seventy-four scientists, guests and crew are aboard the Russian vessel Akademik Shokalskiy which is unable to move, and radioed for help Christmas morning. The expedition was trapped in ice on its way to Antarctica.

Turney’s expedition reports that Shokalskiy is in no danger of sinking and is well stocked with food and diesel.

The Australian ice breaker Aurora Australis attempted to reach the trapped vessel after the Chinese ice breaker Xue Long (Snow Dragon) failed to break through.

Captain of the Australian ice breaker Murray Doyle said that the ice was too thick to penetrate. “Floes are up to two meters of ice with a meter of snow on top and very compact.” He said. “There was just nowhere for us to go.”

Captain Doyle feared that ice would close in and trap his vessel as well, adding to “the drama.”

The Chinese may attempt a rescue using Snow Dragon’s helicopter, however, it is too heavy to land on the Russian vessel and poor visibility from heavy weather has prevented it from coming near. However, if weather improves, the helicopter may land on the thick ice itself, enabling the passengers to walk to it, likely leaving the Russian crew aboard their vessel.

In addition, the American ice breaker Polar Star is on its way from Seattle. Its massive size may permit it to break through where the Australians and Chinese failed.

2013 has been a tough year for global warming aquatic adventures.

In September, a host of yachts and research vessels thought to become global warming heroes by transiting the Northwest passage, only to likewise become blocked or trapped when cold temperatures kicked nature’s ice machine into high gear.

Also in September Russian security captured the Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise as activists attempted to board an oil platform. Thirty Greenpeace campaigners and crew spent months in detention, but were released last week when Russian President Vladimir Putin issued pardons ahead of the Sochi Olympics. Russia continues to hold Arctic Sunrise which is the vessel CFACT boarded in Copenhagen during UN COP 15 in 2009, offered the crew donuts and hung a banner rechristening it the “Ship of lies.” Greenpeace has expressed concern for the future of the vessel claiming that the Russians have not adequately maintained it.

Maybe global warming campaigners looking to go boating at other people’s expense should try someplace warm.

In the not warming world of global warming, truth is stranger than fiction.

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• Antarctic
• Global Warming
• ice

http://www.cfact.org/2013/12/30/aust...licopter-next/

GLOBAL WARMING ON ICE



By: John Hayward
12/30/2013 01:57 PM

You’d need a heart of stone not to laugh at the spectacle of global warming fanatics trapped in the ice on their way to Antarctica, where they planned to make a big deal about the relative shortage of ice. It’s even funnier because the highly sympathetic mainstream media so clearly understands how utterly embarrassing this is. As NewsBusters discovered, very few MSM reports are willing to admit what the true purpose of the expedition was. You’ve got to dig pretty deep to discover they essentially planned their voyage using the same fraudulent climate projections the global warming racket has been using for decades, and promptly got stuck in a few zillion tons of hard, cold reality. Perhaps we should applaud one of the very few examples of warmists behaving as if they actually believe their own predictions, unlike the jet-setting “climate activists” who think noting of filling the atmosphere with “greenhouse gases” as they descend upon climate conferences in their fleets of private jets and limousines.
While tastefully avoiding mention that the point of this adventure was to draw attention to the supposedly dwindling polar ice caps, the Associated Press describes the scientists’ predicament:

A Chinese icebreaker that was en route to rescue a ship trapped in Antarctic ice was forced to turn back on Saturday after being unable to push its way through the heavy sea ice.
The Snow Dragon icebreaker came within 7 miles (11 kilometers) of the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy, which has been stuck since Christmas Eve, but had to retreat after the ice became too thick, said expedition spokesman Alvin Stone.
The Akademik Shokalskiy, which has been on a research expedition to Antarctica, got stuck Tuesday after a blizzard’s whipping winds pushed the sea ice around the ship, freezing it in place. The ship wasn’t in danger of sinking, and there are weeks’ worth of supplies for the 74 scientists, tourists and crew on board, but the vessel cannot move.
Three icebreakers, including the Snow Dragon, have been trying to reach the ship since Wednesday. France’s L’Astrolabe made it to the edge of the sea ice surrounding the ship on Saturday, but called off its mission after it, too, failed to break through, said Lisa Martin, spokeswoman for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which is coordinating the rescue.

They say they’re going to continue the expedition after their ship is freed, although they’ve already discovered enough Antarctic ice to answer any lingering global warming questions. They’ve also been able to get some other science done while rescuers unsuccessfully attempt to smash through the ice that wasn’t supposed to be there:

Despite the interruption to the expedition, the scientists have continued their research while stuck, counting birds in the area and drilling through the ice surrounding the ship to photograph sea life. Those on board also managed to celebrate the holiday with a traditional Christmas feast and a “Secret Santa” gift exchange, which helped keep everyone’s spirits high, [expedition leader Chris] Turney said.

Thank Heavens they don’t have to face anything like the deadly conditions confronted by the 1912 expedition they were attempting to retrace, described as follows by National Geographic:

Most people are familiar with explorers like Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott, two explorers who raced to reach the South Pole.
But Douglas Mawson was different. Along with two fellow explorers, Xavier Mertz and Belgrave Ninnis, Mawson sought to study the shelves of ice rimming Antarctica, ones that had remained untouched for millions of years. The trio left a base camp hut in Commonwealth Bay on December 14, 1912.
The scientific expedition turned into an epic life-or-death struggle: Ninnis, along with the team’s vital gear, food, and dogs, tumbled through a 150-foot-deep (46-meter-deep) crevasse.
Mertz died on the way back.
Mawson fought the elements to return alone and on the brink of death to the team’s hut on February 8, 1913. But he was triumphant, bearing valuable data that would shape modern understanding of Antarctica. His travails prompted Sir Edmund Hillary to call Mawson’s tale “the greatest survival story in the history of exploration.”

The new team wanted to measure the ice and compare it to Mawson’s observations, in the hope of asserting some “role” for global warming, “particularly with respect to melted ice in the East Antarctic.” By the way, it’s currently summer in the Antarctic. Soon we’ll be hearing how unexpectedly dense ice in the summer is “proof” of global warming, just as melted ice and warm water would have been.

http://www.humanevents.com/2013/12/3...arming-on-ice/

Global Warming Scientists Still Trapped In Record-Level Antarctic Ice

http://www.infowars.com/global-warmi...antarctic-ice/

"Sea ice is disappearing due to climate change," scientists say as rescue ships fail to breach ice to save them.