I don't think it can be claimed it was an 'excuse' considering the expedition had been planned before they got caught in ice! It's hardly as if they got funding for the expedition on the basis that they were planning to get stuck in ice!
Even though I'm a 'warmist' (and proud!) it is kinda funny when experts mess up. At worst it was a mishap, at best it was a PR disaster.
However, I think you're being a little naive. Deniers and skeptics have been all over this story like flies on a turd. Again what we see is reactionary comments and deliberate attempts to try and massage this story into some skewed 'world view'. I mean, basically the argument that people like you are putting forward is an attempt to reduce science (which is complicated) into a simplified argument that sounds good but has no merit. Something like:
Global warming means the earth gets warmer. In a warmer world there's less ice. Therefore, because a ship got trapped in ice, global warming isn't occurring.
Thankfully scientists are a little more thorough than that. The observations over many years have shown the Antarctica sea ice expanding in some regions. The reason for that isn't fully understood, but the theories are the effects of melt water on the surrounding oceans and the effect of winds, or a combination of the two. The idea that you can take a local phenomenon, increasing sea ice, and use that to deduce something about global climate is flawed.
The fact that scientists were trapped in ice is funny. It was a PR disaster. But it doesn't allow you to engage in this unbecoming hand-wringing, smug, sanctimonious preaching from the denier altar when you've deliberately simplified the science into something unrecognisable from reality that suits the argument you wanted to make well before the scientists got stuck in ice.
They will say it is settled to push for political action. One scientist told James Annan that he likes to exaggerate the effects of global warming at IPCC meetings for this reason. However, they wish to collect more evidence for their case, to handle the complaints from those whiny skeptics. RealClimate put up a post about fresh hockey sticks from the Southern Hemisphere, that they had to retract after Steve McIntyre and co got a hold of it. So now they need more data to try and resurrect the hockey stick.
They have to come up with as big a list as they can to save face. Hopefully their stopover in Macquerie yielded some results, though according to the Guardian, they were planning on finishing the work on the way back. Oh well, maybe they can have the helicopter stop there. Oops, they don't allow such stops. and are very strict about everyone who comes aboard not bringing contaminants.
By the way, before planning this expedition, did they ask permission from the penguins to ruin their pristine environment? Maybe we should look at the pictures and see that it was penguins pushing the ice into their path.
You are confusing public policy and science again--typical for deniers. There will always be science to study.
On the other hand, the science can settled enough so that public policy decisions should be made.
This concept is not that difficult, but it sure goes over the head of the denial crowd.
EDIT: I had ample opportunity to go on scientific cruises, but most are not relevant to my research and involve long hours of very hard work in inhospitable places like the Southern Ocean, where many of the researchers are seasick much of the time. I did go on a short cruise in a much warmer area, that was working on a new technique for exploring the ocean bottom for oil.
The science that CO2 is a greenhouse gas is settled, the science that shows that we humans have increased C02 in the atmosphere is settled and the science that if nothing else changes this will increase the average global temperature.
A scientist would look for reasons what other factors influence the average global temperature and climates over time.
The best "science" deniers can come up with to date is a ship stuck in ice in one of the coldest and windiest places on earth carrying scientist. Ignoring that it is the captain of the ship who is responsible for the ship and navigation, not the scientist. I for one am saluting the crew of the Chines and Australian icebreakers who rescued the passengers, and I hope the crew remaining on the Akademik Shokalskiy will be able to get the ship and themselves out of trouble.
You have shown a hatred towards "sustainability", "justice" and "equality". You frequently quote Nazi's and claim your god has his hand on the thermostat. I get that, just like your Nazi hero you frequently quote, you believe you are doing the right thing and lust like your Nazi hero, you are advocating genocide by executing people for the "crime" of voting for the wrong politician. You advocate not to act on the science that is settled and against further studies which could show positive and negative feedbacks. You frequently quote Nazi's and claim your god has his hand on the thermostat.
You deny the science that IS settled and advocate against further studies which COULD show positive AND negative feedbacks, quite possibly because you are a religious fruitcake. So let me suggest a way for you to save face. Claim that your god created all the elements and that mankind is combining them to make substances like CO2 in large enough quantities that nature can not cope with and that this will alter the heat retention capacity of the earth. It is not possible to prove that gods do or do not exist so you are quite ok for now. Part of me hopes you will continue with the ridiculous and evil claims and I will be able to use your answers (using your "logic" [1]) to point out that deniers are religious fruitcakes and evil people who hire the handicapped because they are fun to watch.
Full disclosure, my reason to come to this section of yahoo answers is partly for the science, but mainly to marvel at the stupidity of the denier claims.
Well the science is settle as far as AGW being a reality and based on real time data.This single trip to Antarctica has no baring on AGW You can use these types of BS ploys but you have no real science and you can't change reality
This post sure brought some bozo skeptics out of the woodwork
You obviously stopped studying science, when the sun orbited the earth, more data can alter conclusions, so far Global warming is a fact based on the data,
Micheal Mann was on Chris Hayes last night explaining
Climate change makes summers hot and Winters cold .
What did that before AGW? Mann is a clueless fool .
Didnt the UK met office say snow was going to be rare ?NYC had blizzards before and the news media is acting like this is the first one ever. The ones in the 1800s were huge they found Human and animal remains after the snow melted .
Do you understand that 0.8 degrees of warming isn't going to make Antarctica into the tropics?
Claiming that the science was settled was only meant to shut down, silence, and discredit any opposition to AGW theory in order to justify implementing a new world socio-economic order based on communism, socialism, and totalitarianism. The urgency to shut down all opposition was required to get this massive socio-economic transition into effect BEFORE real science had a chance to completely discredit the AGW fraud. The 2009 climate summit at Copenhagen was their best and latest opportunity to cram binding policies for these socio-economic policies and they blew it.
I wonder what the next projected apocalyptic disaster caused by greedy humanity these people are going to come up with to scare people into adopting a new world order is going to be. Maybe they'll find a way to blame capitalism for causing the moon to spiral out of its orbit and come crashing to earth and the only way to stop it is to destroy wealth, tax more, destroy freedom, create a massive world government full of unelected and unaccountable politicians, restrict population growth, and make everyone eat only lettuce to sustain ourselves.
Ottawa just pointed out from their site the excuse these gave for their trip.
1. gain new insights into the circulation of the Southern Ocean and its impact on the global carbon cycle
2. explore changes in ocean circulation caused by the growth of extensive fast ice and its impact on life in Commonwealth Bay
3. use the subantarctic islands as thermometers of climatic change by using trees, peats and lakes to explore the past
4. investigate the impact of changing climate on the ecology of the subantarctic islands
5. discover the environmental influence on seabird populations across the Southern Ocean and in Commonwealth Bay
6. understand changes in seal populations and their feeding patterns in the Southern Ocean and Commonwealth Bay
7. produce the first underwater surveys of life in the subantarctic islands and Commonwealth Bay
8. determine the extent to which human activity and pollution has directly impacted on this remote region of Antarctica
9. provide baseline data to improve the next generation of atmospheric, oceanic and ice sheet models to improve predictions for the future
It sounds like they admit they have a lot to learn. That doesn't look the science is anywhere near settled.
The climate continues to change so there is more to study and to learn. Further studying and learning should not be viewed as new concept.
Well from what I gather they managed two tourist jaunts across the ice to Mawson's hut, but even managed to screw that up by sinking one of their boats.
they were sent to prove Global warming but got trapped in the ice. just as much fail as Al Gore saying the ice caps would of melted and the poplar bears gone by now. They are both still here
A place to smoke a little pot.
