Expedition Communication Director Alvin Stone: “Climate Warming Led To The Vessel’s Awkward Predicament”!

Add another to the list of absurd things claimed to be caused by global warming: Vessels getting trapped in unexpected sea ice!

This morning Switzerland’s online flagship daily NZZ here has a report on yesterday’s rescue of the Professor Chris Turney’s ill-fated Antarctic expedition. Once again we see naughty climatologist kids hiding behind mother media’s dress for protection.

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Alvin Stone, media manager of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition and ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science blames global warming for vessel getting trapped in thick summertime sea ice. Photo: ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science.

Like many major western media outlets, the NZZ is well known for its biased, faith-based position when it comes to reporting on the man-made climate warming issue, often coming to the rescue of climate scientists whenever they find themselves in a jam. Turney’s expedition is no exception.

The article, written by Heidi Gmür, goes out of the way to defend Turney’s botched junket expedition, claiming that “passengers and crew on the ship were never in any immediate danger.”

The NZZ writes that it inquired directly with Alvin Stone, Media and Communications Manager at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, University of New South Wales, to obtain more details about the expedition. According to Stone, except for the minor inconvenience of getting trapped in sea ice for nine days, the expedition was a success. The NZZ writes:

…the surprising turn of events that the expedition had taken didn’t hinder the scientists in finishing their work: ‘Fortunately the scientific measurements had been completed only hours before the vessel got stuck in ice’.”

The NZZ then looks at the massive internet and blog criticism that the debacle unleashed, characterizing it as “furious remarks and commentary from those who question climate warming“. The NZZ goes on to defend Turney’s expedition against the irony that his vessel got stuck in summertime sea ice and that the event starkly illustrates the myth of a warming Antarctic. The NZZ writes (my emphasis):

Wrongfully so, Alvin Stone claimed upon inquiry on Thursday. Moreover, indications are that it is precisely climate warming that led to the vessel’s awkward predicament. This is the ice in which the Shokalskiy got caught, so-called fast ice which had broken off from the continent years earlier, said Stone; moreover measurements show that there has been a decrease of precisely this kind of fast ice in the Antarctic – this in contrast to so-called sea ice that is created by the freezing of water around the continent.”

Blame all the thick vessel-trapping sea ice on climate warming. Can you believe it?

It’s also unclear whether the NZZ is telling readers untruths or if it is reporting out of plain ignorance. As ice on the continent grows, so would the rate of calving due to pressure.

Again we are being asked to accept that increased sea ice is a sign of climate warming, and the same goes for a decrease. This is not science – rather it very much appears as creative rationalization by those desperately clinging to doctrine.

The NZZ then informs that Turney suspects that the situation in the Commonwealth Bay, where the Shokalskiy got stuck, “has changed dynamically as three years earlier a spectacular collision between an ice berg with the Mertz Glacier took place.”

Now we see Turney is blaming his vessel getting stuck on climate warming. It couldn’t possibly get more desperate than that, nor more embarrassing for the institution of academics. I wonder if he intends to sue the fossil fuel industry for the millions in damages incurred by the expedition so far.

In reaction to the NZZ article, a vast majority of readers leaving comment are responding with outrage. Climate science crazy train has gone off the rails.

Finlly the NZZ writes that vessel owner will have to bear the costs of the rescue, citing international maritime law. The owner is reported to be the Eastern Regional Hydrometeorological Research Institute of Russia. That will be interesting to watch, especially given the latest revelations discussed here.

 

46 responses to “Expedition Communication Director Alvin Stone: “Climate Warming Led To The Vessel’s Awkward Predicament”!”

  1. alex

    “”..They were not in immediate danger…”

    Of course they were not. Nobody was holding a gun to their head threatening to pull the trigger. This is how the climate-liars’ cabal tries to thwart the issue. But they were in danger otherwise there would have been no need to air lift the scientists from the ice-bound ship.

    And to blame global warming for an ever increasing global sea-ice extent is analogous to saying that my fridge would cool down if I light a candle inside it.

    Whatever next!

    1. Robin Pittwood

      If you put the burning candle next to the thermostat, the fridge would cool down.

  2. BobW in NC

    And I read: “[NZZ says] that vessel owner will have to bear the costs of the rescue, citing international maritime law.”

    So—the idiots get off without penalty or punishment for their foolishness? And are made to look like heroes? And the media says, “Move along. Nothing to see here?”

    When will an accounting be made?

  3. Lubos Motl

    This is just incredible. I know that some people disagree with me but I can’t help myself: the dishonesty of these people is so unlimited that death would be the only factor that could place an upper bound on these individuals – and protect the civilization from the consequences of this dishonesty.

    1. Ulrich Elkmann

      As understandable as the temptation is – please be careful in wishing something fatal to happen to these goons. Anything along these lines is sure to be cited as evidence for the “numerous death threats” CAGW warriors routinely receive from the denialist Orcs.

    2. Kevin R. Lohse

      Lubos. Reserve your hatred for the Sin, not the sinner. Wishing folk dead for their human frailties is the first step on the road to indescribable horror, events in the last Century gave plenty of examples.

      1. DirkH

        I wish them something even worse. A job. In the real economy.

    3. Mindert Eiting

      Lumo, I read your comment as a moral dilemma. Should the captain have left with his ship, for which he is responsible, leaving the professor behind on the shore?

  4. John Spessard

    Any rescue vehicles using the internal combustion engine should banned for the resulting green house emissions could further endanger these scientists by causing MORE sea ice to form. We need to dispatch only solar and wind power vessels. And if these renewable energy vessels fail in their mission to rescue them, then Chris Turney and his fellow scientists will have died for a good cause… For the needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few… God Speed Chris Turney. Thank you for trying to save the planet from an explosion of sea ice if you die then your death will not have been in vain.

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  6. Alfred Alexander

    Memories of when I was a kid. No matter how cold it was, Mother still
    had to wash clothes. If the snow was deep we had to make a path to the clothes line. We were told because the clothes were hot from washing they would freeze more quickly. so it is easy to understand how warm ocean water can trap a ship.
    Warm water freezes faster than cold water! <l"?….

  7. Realist

    Lets be honest about the tactics of the enviro-whackjobs and the masters they serve, the lib political pretend “saviours” of, well, of everything. It simply does not matter that what they claimed previously is proven untrue or whether their additional claims are proven to be nonsense, when they write their “reports” they will – I absolutely guarantee – have been “right all along!”.

    Pretend-Saviour Fanatics are a special breed of narcissist and no matter what the specifics. its all about themselves, its only about themselves. Everything else is window dressing.

  8. Darkstar

    Wrongfully so, Alvin Stone claimed upon inquiry on Thursday. Moreover, indications are that it is precisely climate warming that led to the vessel’s awkward predicament. This is the ice in which the Shokalskiy got caught, so-called fast ice which had broken off from the continent years earlier, said Stone; moreover measurements show that there has been a decrease of precisely this kind of fast ice in the Antarctic – this in contrast to so-called sea ice that is created by the freezing of water around the continent.”

    Okay, I am so confused.

    So the vast amount of “fast ice” they got stuck in was only there because of evil global warming.
    But at the same time “fast ice” ice is disappearing because of… global warming?

    I mean maybe it is just me, but it sure seems his single sentence is literally saying global warming is at fault when there is more, or less, fast-ice in the area.

    1. Jeff

      I’m not sure how old he is, but perhaps he was watching when Bill Clinton started an answer with the following:
      “It depends on what the meaning of the word “is” is.”
      (Ref: http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/transcr.htm)

  9. Jeff

    “They were not in immediate danger…”

    This is rich, especially coming from a group that invokes
    the precautionary principle to “protect” us and future
    generations from a non-existent problem, while ignoring
    a REAL life-threatening problem in the present (indeed at
    the present moment, as they’re still not out of the woods, er, ice yet).

    Center for Excellence? Of what, spin?

    As far as punishment goes, maybe having them listen to
    “Ben” by Michael Jackson (song about a bear, “Gentle Ben”),
    for 48 hours in a row should do it…maybe adapt it a bit so
    Ben is a polar bear (OK, wrong pole, how about a giant Penguin)….

    Don’t know the laws about court documents in Australia (or wherever
    this may end up in court), but it could well be this is not only damage
    control but “damage prevention” to push culpability in another direction.

    1. DeeDee

      Ben is actually a stupid rat.

  10. sceptical me

    So a member of the ship of fools has gone on record to declare ”..they were not in immediate danger…”

    I understood that a distress call was sent by that ship via satellite and received by Falmouth coastguard, UK.

    From Wilkipedia we know that ‘A distress signal is an internationally recognized means for obtaining help.’

    ‘A distress signal indicates that a person or group of people, ship, aircraft, or other vehicle is threatened by grave and imminent danger and requests immediate assistance. Use of distress signals in other circumstances may be against local or international law.’

    The gift, that keeps on giving.

    1. Tel

      Under normal situations, a disabled ship (i.e. no mobility) that is in no particular danger of sinking and no one on board is likely to die should call three times: “Pan-pan”

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-pan

      However, Antarctic pack-ice is not a normal situation. I would guess that the Captain of the ship would have to give the order to issue a distress call, and he would probably be qualified to judge the danger.

  11. eco-geek

    Quote:

    Moreover, indications are that it is precisely climate warming that led to the vessel’s awkward predicament.

    If this claim is true then the predicament would have been predicted by those highly accurate warmist computer models which are so reliable the expedition did not bother to take weather charts for their destination. Knowing that global warming causes more ice the expedition should have employed a vessel qualified to work in the extensive sea ice they are now telling us they predicted.

  12. Curious George

    The long ride to Mawson’s hut appears to have been recklessly planned, especially given an unstable weather. The “team” did not establish any semi-permanent base at the “landing” site, so the captain had to wait for their return.

  13. Tom Harley

    I see Alvin Stone has previous form … as a WWF representative: http://pindanpost.com/2014/01/04/ill-fated-passengers-rescued-from-pack-ice/

  14. Tom Harley

    From a video of the ice circus, Alvin Stone appears to have aged at least 30 years from the one you show, which can be seen on his Linked In profile …

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  17. Ulrich Lobsiger

    Pierre, congratulations on reporting on the European Main Street Media! Regarding your Swiss flagship NZZ quote, I submitted the following comment to an NZZ up-date of January 4, 2014:

    “Die Geschichte dieser tragikomischen Farce im antarktischen Sommer ist noch lange nicht abgeschlossen. Die 52 Passagiere sind zwar erfolgreich gerettet worden und befinden sich nun auf der Heimfahrt, aber die direkten und indirekten Kosten dieser unverantwortlichen Klimawandel Vergnügungsfahrt wachsen immer mehr. Das russische Expeditionsschiff Akademie Shokalskij mit einer Besatzung von 22 sitzt nach wie vor fest im Eis, die Aurora Australis musste ihre zeitlich kritische Versorgungsfahrt zur australischen Forschungsstation Casey unterbrechen und nun ist sogar der US Eisbrecher Polar Star für SAR (Search and Rescue) aufgeboten worden, statt die McMurdo Station zu unterstützen … Schon jetzt kann man festhalten, dass Professor Turney’s Ausflug die antarktischen Forschungsprogramme von Australien, Frankreich (deren Eisbrecher Astrolabe sich zu Beginn auch an der Rettung beteiligte), China, Russland und nun auch der USA stark negativ beeinflusst hat.”

    However, it was snipped, as was my comment from yesterday, where I linked WUWT and notrickzone for Swiss audiences – looks like the Swiss MSM is not ready to face facts – or, am I missing something, being too offensive?

    (Translation: “The story of this tragi-comical farce in the antarctic summer is far from over. While the 52 passengers from the Akademik Shokalski are enjoying a return trip home, the direct and indirect costs of this irresponsible Climate Change junket continue to mount. The Russian vessel with its crew of 22 is still stuck in fast ice, while the Aurora Australis had to interrupt its mission-critical supply run to the Australian research station Casey. Most recently, SAR (Search and Rescue) support was requested from the US icebreaker Polar Star, instead of supplying McMurdo . … It’s becoming abundantly obvious that the antarctic research programs of Australia, France (whose icebreaker Astrolabe was involved in early efforts), China, Russia and now also of the USA have been gravely jeopardized by professor Turney’s excursion.”

    I am a Swiss-born oceanographer living in Halifax, Nova Scotia and have abundant Arctic field experience; have been following WUWT for years and noticed you as an early fellow contributor. BTW – we are enjoying true winter weather with around -30 deg windchill.

  18. questioner

    Professor Turney’s Center of Excellence seems to contain two of the prestigious Laureate Fellows (pais double a “normal” professor’s salary) – himself and Prof. Matthew England.

    Prof. England seems to have a much better CV and much more history in the Antarctic. But he doesn’t seem to be on the cruise, and nor do any of his PhD students (from a quick glance).

    Am I reading too much into things, or did some of Turney’s colleagues in the same Department see the folly and avoid the trip?

    Also, while Turney keeps saying he is grateful to the rescuers, why doesn’t he say he is sorry for mucking up their work?

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