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Scientists Shocked as Arctic Polar Route Revealed
Paladin144 writes "A route unencumbered by perennial sea ice leading directly to the North Pole has been revealed by recent satellite pictures. European scientists indicated their shock as they noted a ship could sail from Europe's northern-most outpost directly to the pole, something that hasn't been possible during most of recorded human history. The rapid thawing of the perennial sea ice has political implications as the U.S., Canada, Russia and the EU jockey for control of the newly opened passages."
Is it just me or is the world cracking up?
What was the joke?
European scientists indicated their shock as they noted a ship could sail from Europe's northern-most outpost directly to the pole, something that hasn't been possible during most of recorded human history.
Now look, I've seen quite a few movies where they go straight to the pole. No dialogue, nothing. Seriously.
Push Button, Receive Bacon
Did they find any evidence of ManPolarBearPig?
Am I part of the core demographic for Swedish Fish?
teach polar bears how to operate arctic toll booths
But it could have some chilling consequences.
I would think this will open up lots of new trade opportunities between Russia and North America. I don't know what that could mean, but it is certainly interesting. What kind of manufacturing prowess does Russia have that has been heretofore underutilized because they could not as efficiently get goods to North American ports? Or is this all a bunch of hooey?
(I thought of this because I remember reading this article about Pat Broe, which may or may not have been slashdotted, but it is about an investor in the Canadian port of Churchill, Manitoba, which could well profit from an opened northern passage.)
By the way, I live in Manhattan, and I think it's about time to move...to some city somewhere that's 20 or 30 miles inland.
gameDB
"something that hasn't been possible during most of recorded human history."
1. So it happened earlier in recorded human history?
2. There was technology throughout most of human history that recorded Arctic ice cover?
3. Until aircraft, nuclear submarines, nuclear icebreakers, and satellites were invented, nobody was able to say with certainty whether the Northwest Passage existed or not, which was previously the domain of people like Henry Hudson. Indeed, until the technology existed, nobody could really map the icepack with any decent accuracy.
Sweeping statements like the above are simply stupid, as there is no evidence either way. They do make for good inflammatory copy, though.
Oh yeah, in geological terms, human history is less than the blink of an eye. With fossils unearthed recently showing _tropical_ weather in Northern Canada, I think it's safe to say that the Arctic ice cap is a temporary feature.
--
BMO
I did a Google search for other articles on this topic, and nobody has the actual satellite images, just a bunch of lame pictures of *small* icebergs from 2003? I can just see all the Al Gore propaganda jokes tomorrow...
But seriously if you're going to write an article at least post the images. Even Discovery Channel didn't have a good image and they are usually all about the pictures!
I followed the link to TFA, and was expecting to see the very satalite images which have shocked the scientists... but no. WTF?
If the scientists want us to believe that the polar ice caps are melting, then we (the public) are going to want to see pictures.
Sorry, without pictures, I don't believe it. Anyway, I've got to go now, because I've got to pick up my kids from school in my SUV.
return 0; }
I wonder how long it'll be before capitalistic-minded individuals realise the substantial implications of this; they can make money selling boat cruises to the North Pole!
An ice breaker fount its way to the North Pole in 2000. There was no ice on the spot at that time. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/888235.stm
And in other news, Santa's workshop is nowhere to be found.
Yeah. I read somewhere that he was bought out by Wallmart, and then dismantled.
- John
Global Warming could cause Europe to freeze over.
Say goodbye to warm Riviera Summers.
Sometimes boldness is in fashion. Sometimes only the brave will be bold.
You mean we'll be spared of a Titanic 2? Hooray for global warming!
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
When the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich (owner of the British soccer champions Chelsea, among a lot of other things) started his Chukotka project, on the inlet to Bering's Strait, there was some speculation on whether he knew someting that others didn't. :-)
u tions_government/chukotka_3904.jsp
Maybe he did? Check out Chukotka on a map and see for yourselves
http://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization-instit
Shhhh.... don't tell the big polluters about this. Soon enough we're going to be hearing about the benefits of global warming and how it is creating more jobs and empowering the consumer, or something else equally as true.
Too small to mention, heh? I'll let you know we've never lost a single war against Russia nor the U.S... and we seriously intend to keep the record perfect!
"" How about taking the safety labels off everything, and let the stupidity-problem solve itself? """
And that is pretty much what's happening here, except that between the skeptic nutters in the US, the petrochemical-funded astroturf pseudo-science that the Royal Society publicly protested about yesterday. By the time the evidence is clear that not only are massive changes occurring, but that these changes are going to kill tens or hundreds of millions of people, it will be too late.
Hence, We're all doomed. I rest my case.
Everything I needed to know about life, I learnt from Blake's Seven
No, much of the light goes back out into space. That is how you can see the ice caps from orbit! ;-)
Even if the energy get absorbed in the atmosphere, it'll just be the air which doesn't heat up the water. It's the IR taken in by the water that causes it to heat up and melt more ice. It's a positive-feedback cycle; less ice == more heat.
The North Atlantic Ocean can be a dangerous place, as anyone who can recall the fate of the Titanic will know, and the North Atlantic is thousands of miles from the pole. Just because the sea ice has broken up to the point that there are open stretches of water to the pole, does not mean that those waters are in any way navigable by your typical container or cargo vessels as icebergs and submerged ice litter the area. Perhaps in a few more decades the ice will have retreated enough to permit safe passage, but if anyone thinks Richard Branson could just whistle his yatch up the open waters to the pole needs a reality check.
On the contrary; the melting of polar ice means more iceburgs end up detached from the rest.
// MD_Update(&m,buf,j);
It has been predicted that half of the Netherlands (my homeland) will dissapear gradually during the next 100 years, unless we build better and higher dams all around the sea. Offcourse, parts of the NL are already under sea-level ("polders") but not nearly half of it.
Luckily, I live in the area which will be unaffected, so all I have to do to get rich is buy massive amounts of land here. Still, the implications would be enormous.
The more I think of it, the more I believe we should act, and act quick. But I'm not certain as to act upon WHAT exactly.
Free beer is never free as in speech. Free speech is always free as in beer.
at least one of the farging photos - albeit a bit touched up - here it isA MSR_2006_H.jpg
http://esamultimedia.esa.int/images/envisat/ASAR-
The non-red area near the pole (indicated by the black circle in the middle of the photo) is the concern, since it represents pack ice (and water) rather than solid ice
Close, with the vast distances to be covered and the high volume of freight, rail would be about the only choice. Even that would have difficulties some seasons and may not be practical year round. Though in the summer solar electric stations along the line could probably provide the power. Rails are more efficient than highways and able to route higher volumes of freight. They're also presumably easier for customs to monitor.
That said, passenger transport is an easy addon once the freight line is there. Personal vehicles can be stowed in car carriers. Passengers can then spend time in their cabins or the restaurant, pub, etc. Roll your car, loaded with gear, on in Portland or Vancouver and off in Anchorage, Anadyr, Magadan, Jakutsk, Wuhan or Seoul.
A highway would be a waste of resources at this point both to build, maintain and use. Just Portland to Anchorage is about 1500 miles, or about 25hrs of driving at an average speed of 60mph -- and that looks to be only about the halfway point.
Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
Actually there will likely be more.
Warmer water will weaken the edge of the polar icecap, causing it to splinter into icebergs more easily; at the same time, having open water nearer the pole means increased rainfall, which in turn means more ice formation. The circulation of water gets faster with more energy in the system; and iceberg formation is a part of that circulation, so it will intensify as well.
And of course Atlantic storms will get worse too, the rising sealevel will drown out port towns, and the drying farmland means that sailors will starve to death before boarding the ships. Doom and gloom, man, doom and gloom.
Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.
In fact, the story behind lutefisk is less impressive.
Most likely, there was a fire. And then lye was created by combination of ashes+water, and the lye damaged the fish. But throwing away the fish was not an option, so the hungry folks did their best with what they had - and hey presto! Lutefisk was born..
But yeah, only crazy people eat lutefisk. And crazy people are not to be messed with!
And while we're at nasty Norwegian food, check this out! Yep - baked sheep's head.
Stop the brainwash
So a huge fuck-off crack appears in the pole and the first response is not hey! how do we fix it, no, it's hey I want dibbs on trade routes.
This! This! is why I want to vote communist!
In the not too distant future, next Sunday A.D.
You don't need to invade, all you'd need is one dam-busting bomb.
It doesn't matter which ape activates the Monolith
Well, to be honest, human's have a strong tendancy to believe that they are the center of the Universe, and everything that takes place somehow is because we are here (since the collective "we" are _so_ special).
/. and post on here wasn't created without any CO2 being put into the ecosystem.
So by saying that _we_ are the cause of, and potentially can provide the solution to, the environmental changes on this planet, humans put themselves once again in the middle of things.
Could humans be contributing to the warming of the Earth? Sure, I'll buy that. Could it be in conjuction with a natural cycle in preperation of another ice age? Perhaps. I just don't think that pointing the finger at ourselves solves anything. I think it makes folks feel better when they can blame someone. If it's too late, it's too late and there is no value with placing blame. The system you are using to view
As soon as the Yellowstone Caldera erupts, you'll get all the ice back along with other results (human, plant, animal losses). So the Earth will take care of itself. Call it a self-cleaning system. Then the humans that remain, can rebuild and be a little more wise when doing so. But I doubt it.
There are no loopholes. It's either legal or it's not.
Let's paint the environmentalists white, increasing the albedo of the planet.
Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM7ZF8LURE_index_1.html
I never understood this conjecture. I mean, using this logic shouldn't the Netherlands pretty much never have existed?
Computers allow humans to make mistakes at the fastest speeds known, with the possible exception of tequila and handguns
They said we were daft, trying to build a country in a swamp
It seems to me like across rest of the world there is a pretty solid consensus amongst people and scientists alike that global warming is real, and that humans are responsible for it. In the US however, opinion seems to be divided, and it seems to be divided roughly along party lines. Does it not occur to you critics of the theory that people are responsible for global warming that perhaps, just perhaps you are buying into bullshit propaganda and pseudo-science?
A lot of the 'science' that questions our role in global warming is in fact funded, directly or indirectly, by big industries like the oil industry. Doesn't that make you a little suspicious? The global scientific community has no reason to lie about this. There is not some massive conspiracy amongst climatologists to increase their prestige and funding. Occam's razor people.
Critics try to use scientific principles to discredit climate research that links mankind to climate change. What the hell? These are SCIENTISTS that are doing this research, they are PEER REVIEWED papers they are putting out. Don't you think that they have already been subject to the most rigorous scientific scrutiny?
Or perhaps Santa Claus has a base of operations in every country, including one in Spencer County, Indiana, USA, close to the Holiday World theme park. The H0H 0H0 code indicates that Santa's Canadian operations are out of Montreal.
"When I first heard Daydream Nation it quite frankly scared the living shit out of me." -- Matthew Stearns
I'm afraid your post will be marked redundant. This is
No such luck: Titanic 2 [trailer]
Yes, you are right.
Andy Rabagliati
For centuries your European explorers searched in vain for a Northwest Passage to China. They eventually had to give up and admit failure.
But now, thanks to good old Yankee know-how, we have created one for you. Long-dreamed of commercial trade oppertunties have been opened to you! No, no, there's no reason to thank us. Really. It was our pleasure.
If there's anything else you need that can be accomplished via massive greed, sloth, and lack of self-awareness, don't hesitate to ask us.
...keep fingers over eyes and in ears and keep saying
La la la - I can't hear you...
"the U.S., Canada, Russia and the EU jockey for control of the newly opened passages"
Now it should be obvious to everyone why global politicians are so "blind" to global warming. Where all the political and business interest opposition to the science comes from, and how huge it really is.
The Old World (led by the "EU") colonized the New World as just a part of their quest for a "Northwest Passage" between their European and Asian coasts. Half a millennium of genocide, rape, pillage and pollution have followed, making those in the business more rich, powerful and evil than imagined before. Now they're finally getting such a direct route, between even more valuable ports. No opposition from any academics, grassroots political organizations, and documentary movies is going to get in the way of that engine that's moved the world for all of modern history.
--
make install -not war
You insensitive clod!
Interested in a Flash-based MAME front end? Visit mame.danzbb.com
Big changes always happen after a big storm. The FEMA and insurance groups study the wreckage and come up with new recommendations, which the various governments (fed, state, local) may enact through building codes. The FEMA keeps case studies, for other people to copy and learn. Hurricane-prone states have programs specifically to address construction in the hurricane zones.
Living in a "Windstorm II" area, our bigggest concern is wind-blown debris smashing a window, which lets the wind blow inside, which can then rip the roof off from the inside. That's why hurricane shutters are a big deal. (We're still saving up to buy nice shutters for our house.) Our stick-built house, with brick "veneer", is built to withstand winds gusting to 110 MPH. Note that the above Louisiana success story added $12K to the cost of the house, and would probably violate most planned-subdivision regulations.
That said, a friend from Puerto Rico was shocked when she first moved up here. She nearly put her hammer through the wall trying to hang a picture. "What! The walls aren't made of cement blocks?!"
That's a real phenomenon. Of course, it's a long-term one. The North American continent is still in the return swing of it's sea-saw motion, with the part of the continent above the 49th parallel (Canada) rising while the southern half sinks. The northern half was pressed down by the ice during the last ice age, and is still rising from when it all melted away 10,000 years ago.
But that won't affect the ice sheet in question in this article, since this ice sheet is floating on top of the Arctic Ocean and rests on no land at all.
"Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."
"Mister President, perhaps you should transmit a planetary distress signal ... while we still have time."
-- Sarek: "STIV:TVH", Stardate 8390
-kgj
For centuries people sought the Northwest Passage alternative to the stormy Tierra Del Fuego or narrow Panama Canal. Amundson (first guy to south pole) lead the first successful sea passage exactly a hundred years ago. Now people are routinely doing this in the summer. Pretty soon it might be safe enough for summer commercial ships.
"It seems to me like across rest of the world there is a pretty solid consensus amongst people and scientists alike that global warming is real, and that humans are responsible for it. In the US however, opinion seems to be divided, and it seems to be divided roughly along party lines."
Most of the world's nations that contribute to climatology are well to the left of the US, and they and our slightly less conservative party (Democrats) are in agreement about global warming. Reality has a well-known liberal bias, so there you go. It's pretty simple, really.
I liked Titanic. Admittedly the start was a bit boring, but the comedy ending and the bit where Leonardo DiCaprio dies and then sinks into the Atlantic was good.
Who ordered that?
Greenery - Marijuana (legal and sold (in different grades, like at a tobacconist) in shops in Amsterdam)
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
> You failed geography, right? Most of California and New York are above sea level, way above the 10 to 15 feet the sea level is expected to rise over the next century.
;)
While it's true that most of the land in Calfornia and New York State is above sea level, don't forget that much of the *population* is concentrated at or very close to the coastline. New York City, in particular, would be FUCKED by a rise in sea level, and other cities like San Francisco would also be in trouble (remember, the sea has tides). Even if most of California and New York remain above water, it would still be a tragic loss -- otherwise one could argue that the devastation of New Orleans was only a "minor" loss compared to the relative safety of Louisiana.
> Now Virginia Beach, Virginia, home of Pat Robertson, GONE. And not a moment too soon.
If I was still a church-goin' Christian, I'd say, "Amen to that, brother."
"All hands, BRACE FOR IMPACT!"
> something that hasn't been possible during most of recorded human history.
Looks like we dodged another murderous ice age. Whew!
Oh, wait, that's not the politically correct answer, is it?
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
According to this article:
"The Arctic is undergoing nothing less than a great rush for virgin territory and natural resources worth hundreds of billions of dollars..."
"...In 2001, Russia made the first move, staking out virtually half of the Arctic Ocean, including the North Pole. Moscow sought to bolster its claim by sending a research ship north to gather geographical data. On Aug. 29, it reached the pole without the help of an icebreaker - the first surface ship ever to do so."