UK explorer to measure effect of global warming on Arctic ice
International Herald Tribune - October 16, 2007
My first reaction when reading this article was “but aren’t we doing this already?” Obviously not but that is a shame. I repeat my often heard message that if we are going to spend trillions of dollars to reverse human induced global warming then we need to fully understand the true causes and effects of the phenomenon. Something as simple as mapping the ice on Greenland and in the Arctic seems like a good first step.
I give credit to Pen Hadow and his three-member team in conducting this research. I wonder what would happen if the poor guy had enough funds to launch a couple dozen three-member teams.
Worse yet, the article leads the reader to believe that an expedition like this hasn’t occurred in the last 4 decades! I am sure that this isn’t true but it is very concerning to comparing these studies is the reference point rather than a study taken place a few years ago.
A British explorer said … he plans to carry out the most accurate survey of the thickness of the Arctic ice during a 2,000-kilometer (1,240-mile) trek to the North Pole.
Explorer Pen Hadow’s three-member team will pull a sled-mounted, ground-penetrating radar from Point Barrow in Alaska to the North Pole between February and June. The radar will measure the depth of the ice every 20 centimeters (8 inches), producing some 10 million readings in all.
The Arctic ice cap shrank to a record low this summer, opening up the Northwest Passage along Canada’s fringe for the first time.
Scientists say the ice is melting quickly, and have raised the possibility that the Arctic Ocean will be completely ice-free in summer by 2050. Hadow warned that the melting of the ice there would lead to rising sea levels and altered weather patterns worldwide.
“It is crucial that people understand that what is happening in the Arctic is having a significant impact on the rest of the world,” Hadow said. [Editor’s note: I agree, so why are there only 3 people doing this?]
Hadow’s survey follows in the footsteps of Arctic explorer Sir Wally Herbert, whose expedition took frequent ice core readings as it crossed the Arctic Ocean nearly four decades ago. Hadow said he hoped his new measurements could be constructively compared with Herbert’s to give further insight into how the region has changed.
Read the article here.
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Filed under: Getting warmer, Human fault, Weather science
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This looks like a publicity stunt. Well let’s hope this publicity stunt ends better than the last one did earlier this year, how embarrassing.
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2007/03/13/frostbite_ends_bancroft_arnesen_trek/