Australian Icebreaker Tries To Get Through To Stranded Antarctic Research Ship

Posted by timothy on Sunday December 29, 2013 @09:32AM from the good-on-'em dept.

The shipload of researchers and tourists stuck in the Antarctic ice are still stuck. A Chinese icebreaker, the Xue Long, or Snow Dragon, has gotten tantalizingly close but was hampered by "unusually thick ice." Now, an Australian vessel, the Aurora Australis, will attempt to rescue the 74 people aboard the MV Akademik Shokalskiy.

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Re:Send the American icebreaker! by growingtedium · 2013-12-29 10:03 · Score: 3, Interesting

I do wonder who is going to be paying for these rescue attempts.
How is ice forming in the summer? by Billly+Gates · 2013-12-29 10:12 · Score: 3, Interesting

I am aware Antarctica is one of the coldest places on earth, yet when I lived 60 degrees away from the equator in Alaska it never got down to 7F (the degree in which salt water freezes) by summer. It would not even hit freezing until September or October?!This is not 90 degrees on the dead center of the geographic south pole or anything and is surrounded by water which moderates the climate.
The ice should be rapidly melting?!

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Re:Aurora Australis by XaXXon · 2013-12-29 12:17 · Score: 3, Interesting

I was wondering why they only operate in the northern hemisphere.
It's because it requires cold water to cool its reactor. Tropic water is apparently not cold enough, so it can't get to the southern hemisphere without exploderating. Or something.
Get to da choppa by Hamsterdan · 2013-12-29 12:18 · Score: 2, Interesting

Seriously, anyone thought about rescuing them using helicopters? Rescue the people, worry about the ship later...

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