Global Warming Opens Up Antarctic Waterways

[jackdale]

On February 13, a yachting crew from Poland sailed its 67-foot sloop, Selma, to a latitude in Antarctica's Bay of Whales that's traditionally frozen solid, and only navigable by icebreaker. It was a hundred miles farther south than anyone had ever taken a sailboat. Temperatures hovered around zero degrees Fahrenheit (it's the height of summer in the south pole) as the crew took turns hacking a heavy layer of frost that coated the ship's deck and rails. A storm briefly sent twenty-foot waves in their path, but the surface was calm when Selma finally ran out of sea. "We touched the ice of the Antarctic," skipper Piotr Kuniar told Radio Poland. "We cannot sail any further."

Read more: Global Warming Opens Up Antarctic Waterways - MensJournal.com
Follow us: @mensjournal on Twitter | MensJournal on Facebook

[Reefmagnet]

Northern hemisphere's cold winter been more than offset by the southern's hot summer. Has the big freeze in the north been attributed to global warming, I wonder?

Sent from my SGP521 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[jackdale]

There is a good chance the NWP will be open this summer / fall

On February 25, 2015, Arctic sea ice extent appeared to have reached its annual maximum extent, marking the beginning of the sea ice melt season. This year’s maximum extent not only occurred early; it is also the lowest in the satellite record.

[DeepFrz]

Northern hemisphere's cold winter been more than offset by the southern's hot summer.

Really? The Northern hemisphere has been especially cold?

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Really? The Northern hemisphere has been especially cold?

Ok well North America to be pedantic about it. I'm over every single weather anomaly that occurs as being associated with "global warming". No matter if it's too hot, too cold, drought, flood or tempest it's that darn global warming's fault. Apparently the natural climate, unlike the weather, must be static and never change.

But on the subject of hottest years on record (of which every year just about seems to be) here's an interesting chart from a reputable source:



Now, I'm an ignorant layman, but this just screams "heat island effect". Also, the differential between cooling and heating trends to the left of Antartica there says "local anomaly" as in the same "local anomaly" that some climate scientists describe as the cause of the medieval warming period and little ice age that allows them to discount these climate "blips" in recent climate history.

Anyway, I think it's great that the Northwest Passage is opening up in summer on a regular basis. I'd really like to sail that area one day.

[sea-bee]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

... No matter if it's too hot, too cold, drought, flood or tempest it's that darn global warming's fault. Apparently the natural climate, unlike the weather, must be static and never change.

There is a reason why the scientists don't refer to the climate change as "global warming".

The problem is actually increased energy in the atmosphere, which manifests itself as extreme weather events (like too hot, too cold, drought, flood or tempest).

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by sea-bee

There is a reason why the scientists don't refer to the climate change as "global warming".

Yes there is. It's called "hedging your bets" or, to be less eloquent, "covering your ass".

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

Ok well North America to be pedantic about it. I'm over every single weather anomaly that occurs as being associated with "global warming". No matter if it's too hot, too cold, drought, flood or tempest it's that darn global warming's fault. Apparently the natural climate, unlike the weather, must be static and never change.

But on the subject of hottest years on record (of which every year just about seems to be) here's an interesting chart from a reputable source:



Now, I'm an ignorant layman, but this just screams "heat island effect". Also, the differential between cooling and heating trends to the left of Antartica there says "local anomaly" as in the same "local anomaly" that some climate scientists describe as the cause of the medieval warming period and little ice age that allows them to discount these climate "blips" in recent climate history.

Anyway, I think it's great that the Northwest Passage is opening up in summer on a regular basis. I'd really like to sail that area one day.

Take up your beef with Jimmy Cornell:

"

Although some people still refuse to take notice of what scientists and meteorologists have been saying for many years, weather patterns are changing and there is no longer any excuse for not taking these warnings seriously. This affects sailors on small boats perhaps more than anyone else, so these warnings should be heeded and we should be even more cautious than in the past."

Climate change – Jimmy Cornell's personal view - Cornell Sailing Events & Publications

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by jackdale

On February 13, a yachting crew from Poland sailed its 67-foot sloop, Selma, to a latitude in Antarctica's Bay of Whales that's traditionally frozen solid, and only navigable by icebreaker. It was a hundred miles farther south than anyone had ever taken a sailboat. Temperatures hovered around zero degrees Fahrenheit (it's the height of summer in the south pole) as the crew took turns hacking a heavy layer of frost that coated the ship's deck and rails. A storm briefly sent twenty-foot waves in their path, but the surface was calm when Selma finally ran out of sea. "We touched the ice of the Antarctic," skipper Piotr Kuniar told Radio Poland. "We cannot sail any further."

Read more: Global Warming Opens Up Antarctic Waterways - MensJournal.com
Follow us: @mensjournal on Twitter | MensJournal on Facebook

Doesn't really jibe overall with the facts.

"Antarctic sea ice extent reached its annual minimum, dipping to 3.58 million square kilometers (1.38 million square miles) on February 20. This is the fourth highest summer minimum extent on record, trailing behind 2008 (3.75 million square kilometers or 1.44 million square miles, highest), 2013, and 2003. The 2014 Antarctic minimum ranked the fifth highest (3.54 million square kilometers or 1.36 million square miles). For the month as a whole, February 2015 has the sixth highest ice extent (3.8 million square kilometers or 1.46 million square miles). The sea ice extent trend for February for 1979 to 2015 shows an increase of 5.0% per decade."

https://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2...-in-the-south/

Figure 6b. Monthly Antarctic February ice extent for 1979 to 2015 shows a trend of 5.0% per decade relative to the 1981 to 2010 average.

Credit: National Snow and Ice Data Center
High-resolution image
Image 8 of 8 (play slideshow) Download

[jimbunyard]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

Doesn't really jibe overall with the facts.

The Bay of Whales, is located at the red square.

Looks pretty much ice free on the day before they 'supposedly' made their furthest southerly excursion.

Of course I realize that University of Bremen and Wikipedia are in cahoots with the Polish sailors on the Selma, in an effort to 'promulgate the scam'...

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by Catalysis

boat alexander:
While I agree that we should all conserve where we can it is important to recognize that CO2 levels will naturally come down if we let the carbon cycle perform as it was intended.

When CO2 levels rise plants, trees in particular, grow faster and healthier and convert the CO2 into carbon(wood) and oxygen.

Yes, and when the trees in the forest fall and decay the CO2 is released again into the air. The co2 levels do not come down so easily. Further, we continue to deforest the planet, and every year there are less and less trees.

The only way for the co2 levels to come down is for the trees to fall and become buried.. or like in the case of oil, but this doesn't happen usually. Further, even if we cut the trees and buried them, we cannot expect to just grow more trees in that same place because the nutrients (what is in ash after wood burns) are no longer available.

A huge problem is manmade interference by the ethanol lobby who strangely (and wrongly) keep pushing ethanol in fuel. This is madness because the energy density of ethanol is far lower than virgin gasoline resulting in lower mpg which requires more gallons for a given trip.

ethanol has a higher octane (108 vs 89), so you must modify the engine to have a higher compression and then it cannot run on gasoline anymore to fully benefit. Blending it at 10% is completely stupid, it should be 100% if at all. As you can see the scam goes both ways and really it's nothing to do with promoting alternative fuel that is the cover the real intention is to consume more oil.

The great plains are actually being mined. This area had the deepest topsoil in the world over 20 feet and now it's half gone already. It won't be long before this region becomes a desert.

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

Alexandra why make stuff up?. With fast neutron or breeder reactor technology there is, for all practical purposes, unlimited energy >5 billion years worth at 1983 consumption rates.


Breeder reactor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

With the current nuclear power plants yes, but maybe you are right the breeder reactors can produce 100 times the power from the same fuel.

There are a few problems:

1. Why aren't they doing this already? I suspect it's not economical? In that case, solar power is already cheaper than conventional nuclear and going to be a lot cheaper than any breeder reactor.

2. Nuclear power is something once spent we cannot replace. It's incredibly wasteful to just turn into steam. Why don't you burn good hardwood in an open fire to cook? Radioactive matter may be our ticket to reaching the stars and moving outward from this planet, and to allow it to be used to power stuff that is completely stupid like air conditioning is terrible.

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

With the current nuclear power plants yes, but maybe you are right the breeder reactors can produce 100 times the power from the same fuel.

There are a few problems:

1. Why aren't they doing this already? I suspect it's not economical? In that case, solar power is already cheaper than conventional nuclear and going to be a lot cheaper than any breeder reactor.

2. Nuclear power is something once spent we cannot replace. It's incredibly wasteful to just turn into steam. Why don't you burn good hardwood in an open fire to cook? Radioactive matter may be our ticket to reaching the stars and moving outward from this planet, and to allow it to be used to power stuff that is completely stupid like air conditioning is terrible.

Please consider that the earth condensed from star dust about 4 billion years ago. I'm at a loss to find the words to comment on the above.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

Please consider that the earth condensed from star dust about 4 billion years ago. .

I read where God made it in six days!

[jtsailjt]

[/QUOTE]

There are a few problems:

1. Why aren't they doing this already? I suspect it's not economical? In that case, solar power is already cheaper than conventional nuclear and going to be a lot cheaper than any breeder reactor.

2. Nuclear power is something once spent we cannot replace. It's incredibly wasteful to just turn into steam. Why don't you burn good hardwood in an open fire to cook? Radioactive matter may be our ticket to reaching the stars and moving outward from this planet, and to allow it to be used to power stuff that is completely stupid like air conditioning is terrible.[/QUOTE]

The only reason conventional nuclear isn't cheaper in the US is all the government mandated hoops that must be jumped through to get a new plant permitted online. The technology itself is well developed and simple and inexpensive. Another critically important characteristic of nuclear is that it's dependable, whereas solar only produces power part of the time. There's really no comparison. I love the solar panels on my boat but a pocket sized nuclear reactor would be even nicer!

I don't want a ticket to reach the stars, I like it here just fine. And I don't particularly like air conditioning, except when I feel hot and sweaty and it's 95 degrees out without a breath of air moving, then it's about the only thing that can make me feel comfortable. In those conditions, turning on the air conditioning doesn't seem stupid at all.

[LekiM]

OK - I usually don't touch this stuff with a 10-foot pole.
Why? Because it always turns into a pot-luck dinner with the same bitter dishes.

If I may: Here is a simple, minimum set of basic info that will inform about 95% of all you need to know about 'global warming'. You'll note, none comes from the normal sources, or any reputable blog. If you find the time to make simple sense out of these three topics, then you might sit back, cross your arms, knit your brow, and maybe say, "I'm not touching that with a 10-foot pole". Then? You could get out on the water.

1) Laws of thermodynamics
2) Wein's Law
3) Any layperson's introduction to the work of Ed Lorenz.

BTW - no insults or jabs intended. It's just frustrating from my particular position. Apologies. Y'all be safe.