Well an Arctic expedition which set out to prove global that warming is
going to kill us all was called of due to weather and ice conditions. well
the reasons are named as "slushy ice, open water, drifting and yes to
underline it all......deep snow, too deep to navigate. Call me cynical but I
thought they went prepared for melt condition ? it was a mission to prove
global warning-yet snow not rain stopped them in their erm.. tracks.

" One World Expedition stops short of first time summer crossing of Arctic
Ocean; explorers vow to continue work on global warming
GRAND MARAIS, MINN., June 3 ---Explorers Lonnie Dupre and Eric Larsen were
forced today to cut short the first attempt to cross the Arctic Ocean in
summer, but have vowed to continue campaigning for action on human-caused
global climate change, including work with expedition partner Greenpeace.
Unexpected weather conditions, including unusually deep snow and a steady
southerly ice drift, led the explorers to call for an airlift.

Since leaving Cape Arctichesky on Siberia's coast May 10, the team traveled
150 miles but made just 45 miles northward toward the North Pole, unable to
maintain the pace required to complete the trip before winter storms arrive.
They had only a few days of conditions where they could use their skis, and
even then could not make the daily distance required by the expedition plan.

Dangerous broken ice - fields of small pans and brash ice joined by thin
layers of sea ice which would not support the team's weight, forcing them to
swim and break their way forward - constantly moved in a gyroscopic action,
erasing their hard-won progress each night as they slept. Snow fell most
days, building up a deep layer through which travel was extremely difficult
and slow. Daily temperatures spiked above freezing, causing the snow to turn
to slush. The explorers plan to meet with Arctic climate experts to share
their firsthand experience and observations, and to see if conditions this
year were out of the ordinary. "

Go to their site look at at the
sponsers.http://www.oneworldexpedition.com/pressroom.html

I think its a case of

"We will have global warming. We will!"

well what did they expect to encounter ?!

"Shayne" wrote in message
...
well what did they expect to encounter ?!

Solid ice with flat areas and pressure ridges. The ice had melted even more
than they expected, and they ended up trying to swim to the pole!

They are not the only ones caught out by melting ice this year. Ann Daniels
had similar problems and she was lifted off, but she blamed the Russian
bureaucracy. The same thing happened to the "Last Degree Expedition" See;
http://www.members.shaw.ca/polarchallenge/
They say "As for other Arctic travellers this year, as I write, no other teams
have completed an entire last degree to the Pole on foot or ski." That seems
to have been prophetic.

In August (much later in the melt season) 1958 the American submarine USS
Nautilus was the first to cross the Arctic. They could find nowhere to
surface at the pole because the ice was so thick, much to their
disappointment.
August five years ago it was reported that the pole was ice free.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/888235.stm
The Arctic ice is melting rapidly, and no amount of sneering at the reports
will
prevent it getting very much worse.

Cheers, Alastair.

I was under the impression that the summer season last year at the pole was
both later and shorter than normal.

Shaun Pudwell.


"Alastair McDonald" k wrote
in message ...

"Shayne" wrote in message
...
well what did they expect to encounter ?!

Solid ice with flat areas and pressure ridges. The ice had melted even
more
than they expected, and they ended up trying to swim to the pole!

They are not the only ones caught out by melting ice this year. Ann
Daniels
had similar problems and she was lifted off, but she blamed the Russian
bureaucracy. The same thing happened to the "Last Degree Expedition" See;
http://www.members.shaw.ca/polarchallenge/
They say "As for other Arctic travellers this year, as I write, no other
teams
have completed an entire last degree to the Pole on foot or ski." That
seems
to have been prophetic.

In August (much later in the melt season) 1958 the American submarine USS
Nautilus was the first to cross the Arctic. They could find nowhere to
surface at the pole because the ice was so thick, much to their
disappointment.
August five years ago it was reported that the pole was ice free.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/888235.stm
The Arctic ice is melting rapidly, and no amount of sneering at the
reports
will
prevent it getting very much worse.

Cheers, Alastair.

"Shaun Pudwell" wrote in message


I was under the impression that the summer season last year at the pole was
both later and shorter than normal.

So what mechanism has caused the conditions or doesn't anyone know?

(Besides me, that is.)


--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

"Michael Mcneil" wrote in message
news:09f01609985524a2ab2adcbff2ee4894.45219@mygate .mailgate.org...
"Shaun Pudwell" wrote in message


I was under the impression that the summer season last year at the pole
was
both later and shorter than normal.

So what mechanism has caused the conditions or doesn't anyone know?

(Besides me, that is.)

I think everyone knows what is causing the ice to melt, only some people
won't admit it :-(

Cheers, Alastair.

Presumably you are referring to this report;
http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/essay_untersteiner3.html
It is describing surface conditions but the melting is probably due to
warmer/saltier sea water which is melting the ice from below.

As I recall, one of the explorers who was rescued after reaching the
north pole last year reckoned that he could well have been the last
person to reach it on foot, and that seems to be coming true :-(.

Cheers, Alastair.


"Shaun Pudwell" wrote in message
...
I was under the impression that the summer season last year at the pole was
both later and shorter than normal.

Shaun Pudwell.


"Alastair McDonald" k wrote
in message ...

"Shayne" wrote in message
...
well what did they expect to encounter ?!

Solid ice with flat areas and pressure ridges. The ice had melted even
more
than they expected, and they ended up trying to swim to the pole!

They are not the only ones caught out by melting ice this year. Ann
Daniels
had similar problems and she was lifted off, but she blamed the Russian
bureaucracy. The same thing happened to the "Last Degree Expedition" See;
http://www.members.shaw.ca/polarchallenge/
They say "As for other Arctic travellers this year, as I write, no other
teams
have completed an entire last degree to the Pole on foot or ski." That
seems
to have been prophetic.

In August (much later in the melt season) 1958 the American submarine USS
Nautilus was the first to cross the Arctic. They could find nowhere to
surface at the pole because the ice was so thick, much to their
disappointment.
August five years ago it was reported that the pole was ice free.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/888235.stm
The Arctic ice is melting rapidly, and no amount of sneering at the
reports
will
prevent it getting very much worse.

Cheers, Alastair.

Shayne wrote:
well what did they expect to encounter ?!

Expect or Want?

Had they stayed at home they could have listened to me instead:

Another clue in the disposition of oceanic/meteorological oscillations
seems to be a drought in the UK (and prehaps all of NW Europe?) that
will -this coming winter, ensure that there is not a flux of low salt
inflow from the Baltic into the Arctic.

In which case the whole scheme of the global conveyor themohaline
circuit is to undergo a massive rethink.

200 year cycle, my arse.

An interesting aspect to the salt balance of the arctic ocean is that
the intake of dilute brine must equal the outflow of ice and the deeper
brine, since the density of the sea water under the ice is pretty evenly
35 gm /litre.

So the measure of the outflow of ice each year tells the intake from
the Baltic and environs.

Even I can understand that maths.

It must be wrong.


--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

"Michael Mcneil" wrote in message
news:d32f550c136b8d8474500bec46a3a5a4.45219@mygate .mailgate.org...
An interesting aspect to the salt balance of the arctic ocean is that
the intake of dilute brine must equal the outflow of ice and the deeper
brine, since the density of the sea water under the ice is pretty evenly
35 gm /litre.

So the measure of the outflow of ice each year tells the intake from
the Baltic and environs.

Even I can understand that maths.

It must be wrong.

Yes, it is wrong. The water going out is fresh, but these days, the
water going into the Arctic is salty water originating from the Gulf
Stream. This means that the Arctic Ocean is getting saltier and
hence the ice is melting. Eventually the output from the Arctic will
be salty and there will be a salinity balance, but by then the ice will
have gone :-(

Cheers, Alastair.