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

• 
  

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.

Global Warming Fanatics Trapped In Antarctic Sea Ice

20 Comments

Posted 12/31/2013 06:12 PM ET

Cold Climate: In an event chock-full of bitterly cold irony, perhaps even Al Gore has noticed that multiple icebreakers couldn't free a boat stuck in Antarctic ice that global warming was supposed to have melted.
Few of the media reports on the plight of the Russian-flagged research vessel MV Akademik Schokalskiy have noted the irony of a ship full of climate scientists getting stuck in an Antarctic ice sheet so thick that early attempts at breaking through the ice to free them were failures.
"We're stuck in our own experiment," the Australasian Antarctic Expedition said in a statement. "We came to Antarctica to study how one of the biggest icebergs in the world has altered the system by trapping ice. We ... are now ourselves trapped by ice surrounding our ship."
In a statement only climate-change die-hards could make, the group said, "Sea ice is disappearing due to climate change, but here ice is building up."
A Chinese icebreaker was unable to reach the ship, and another vessel, the Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis, got within 10 nautical miles of the stranded ship but couldn't see it through a driving blizzard and had to turn back to open water, Fox News reported.
A makeshift helicopter pad on the ice sheet was being readied for a helicopter rescue.
"A decision has been reached to evacuate 52 passengers and four crew members by helicopter from China's Xue Long ship, should the weather allow," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement which did not note whether it was solar-powered or not.
Expedition leader Chris Turney, a professor of climate change at Australia's University of New South Wales, dismissed the irony of their situation, claiming the ice they were trapped in was old ice likely formed from an iceberg that broke away years ago, and proves nothing.
But Titanic-like icebergs have been forming since long before the Industrial Revolution, and in our view an inconvenient truth is that ice is ice.
The 2004 science fiction movie "The Day After Tomorrow" — and the operative word here is "fiction" — opened with a portion of the West Antarctic ice sheet shearing off as a prelude to planetary doom.
But as we recently noted, while the global-warming alarmists obsess about ice sheets breaking off, Antarctic sea ice has grown to a record-large extent for a second straight year.
A review of the Icesat satellite data from 1992 to 2008 showed a net gain in ice mass in Antarctica — not a decline.

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

BY ADMIN · JANUARY 1, 2014
By MIA DE GRAAF and HAYLEY O’KEEFF

• Chris Turney, a climate scientist and leader of the expedition, was going to document ‘environmental changes’ at the pole
• In an interview he said he expected melting ice to play a part in expedition
• MV Akademik Schokalskiy still stuck among thick ice sheet 1,500 nautical miles south of Hobart, the Tasmanian capital
  
• Called for help at 5am Christmas morning after becoming submerged in ice
• Australia’s back-up ship, Aurora Australis could not break through

​




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.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

This image, taken by passenger Andrew Peacock, shows the ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy still stuck in the ice off East Antarctica, as it waits to be rescued



A thin fresh coat of snow on the trapped ship

Passengers receiving a briefing about the latest ice conditions report from expedition co-leader Greg Mortimer

Professor Chris Turney, leader of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, is pictured talking to international media from the top deck of the stranded ship

Australian Green Party Senator-elect Janet Rice up early doing some stretching on the top deck of the MV Akademik Shokalskiy
The expedition is being lead by Chris Turney, a climate scientist, who was hoping to reach the base camp of Douglas Mawson, one of the most famous Antarctic explorers, and repeat observations done by him in 1912 to see what impact climate change had made.

It is thought that the group, which includes scientific researchers and a journalist, will now be able to escape by air after two sea rescues failed.
Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis was unable to reach them because it was not strong enough to break through.
A top-of-the-range Chinese icebreaker, the Snow Dragon (‘Xue Long’), was deployed earlier in the week, and hoped to reach the ship by saturday.
However just after midnight on Friday it too got stuck just six nautical miles from the ship.



The Chinese icebreaker Xuelong – meaning Snow Dragon – was deployed to rescue the Russian science ship



However just before midnight on Friday Captain Wang Jianzhong’s ship (pictured) also became trapped

Scientists on board the Xuelong, including Liu Shunlin (left), are now studying the condition of the Russian ship while they wait to be freed themselves

A photograph sent in by the captain of the Russian ship suggests that the two vessels can actually see each other, albeit as a tiny speck on the horizon
The Academic Shokalskiy set off from New Zealand on November 28 to recreate a 100-year-old Australasia expedition first sailed by Sir Douglas Mawson to see how the journey changes using new technology and equipment.
But on Wednesday morning, the boat hit a mass of thick ice sheets and today remains at a stand still.
Chris Turney, an Australian professor who helped organise the voyage on the Russian ship, yesterday posted a photograph on Twitter apparently showing the Chinese vessel, a speck on the horizon beyond an expanse of ice.

Smile: The crew of 48 passengers and 26 researchers pose for a holiday photograph in the depths of Antarctica



Barbara Tucker, a passenger on Russia’s Academic Shokalskiy, is pictured watching an adelie penguin



Today, passengers waved as a helicopter sent from China’s retreated Snow Dragon flew by to check the snow levels. Autralia’s back-up vessel, the Aurora Australis, is expected to arrive tonight but if that fails, helicopters may be sent to the rescue

The 26 researchers on board have managed to get messages out saying they are well-stocked and continuing their research despite being trapped in five metres of ice sheets 1,500 miles south of Tasmanian capital Hobart

Failed: This picture, tweeted by passenger Chris Turney, shows the top-of-the-range icebreaker, China’s ‘Snow Dragon’ which also got stuck and was forced to retreat on Friday



Trapped: 74 people, including scientists, tourists and a Guardian reporter, are stuck in thick ice sheets





Crew members routinely check the hull of the ship, which gathers fresh layers of snow every night






‘Everyone well,’ Turney added.

He said trying to break through ice that was too thick would be ‘like driving your car into a brick wall’.

Just before 5am on Wednesday, Australia deployed a The Snow Dragon to free the group into open water.

French vessel L’Astrolabe was sent out for back up, alongside Australia’s Aurora Australis, which is carrying food and first aid professionals.

After two days being stranded, passengers hoped to be rescued by the Snow Dragon as it powered through horrific conditions.
Unique view from deck of ship TRAPPED in Antarctic ice






Russia’s Academic Shokalskiy is recreating Mawson’s 100-year-old Australasia expedition using new tools

Blizzards could hamper the rescue mission, but the ship is well-stocked and the scientists are continuing their research on the snow around them
But on Friday the heavy winds became too great, and built up an impenetrable pile of snow.
Academic Shokalskiy, an ice-strengthened ship built in 1982, was originally used for oceanographic research before being refurbished to be used as a passenger vessel in the Arctic and Antarctica.
Marooned 1,500 nautical miles south of Hobart – the capital of the Australian state of Tasmania – the thick ice sheets built up during a bout of severe wind.
The Russian embassy in Australia has been in constant contact with the captain and said everyone on board was in good health and there was ‘no threat to their lives or safety’.
On board are scientists from the University of New South Wales, a journalist from The Guardian and dozens of tourists who have paid to be part of the recreation of Mawson’s expedition.
The research team has made contact with local stations from the Commonwealth Bay to say they are well-stocked with food.

The ship had been on a multi-day tour from New Zealand to visit several sites along the edge of Antarctica before getting trapped in sea ice



France’s L’Astrobe, also been deployed to save the ship, has now turned back

Bleak: The ship has been stranded in the barren, frozen landscape since Christmas
‘We all know that there’s a possibility of this becoming quite a protracted sit and wait,’ said Andrew Peacock, a passenger onboard the Akademik Shokalskiy, speaking via satellite phone.
‘I think people are just looking at that next step when that second icebreaker arrives.

‘We really are just hoping that the two powerful icebreaker ships will provide the breakage of ice that we need.’
However, he said the ice floes appear to have built up dramatically overnight.

They are also continuing their research while stranded by testing the temperature of the surrounding ice sheets.
A spokesman for Australia’s Maritime Safety Authority told Australia’s Associated Press: ‘It is quite a remote part of the world, but we have everyone safe. The vessel isn’t in any immediate danger.’

The spokesman said the ship was visiting a number of sites along the edge of Antarctica.

One has managed to send a tweet.

Chris Turney, of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, wrote: ‘Heavy ice. Beautiful; light wind. Only -1degC. All well. Merry Xmas everyone from AAE.’

Read more: National Geographic

SOURCE:


http://asheepnomore.net/2014/01/01/g...ed-helicopter/

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


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