A Reader Writes... | Vancouver Secrets

I was reading something about global warming (aka climate change) tonight: cap and trade, no drilling, no nukes, sun power, wind power, etc., basically economic suicide, and I kept wondering why so many people believe so fervently in this nonsense.

Then it hit me. There’s no fact, no science, no common sense behind it at all which means that any a$$hat can believe it in it, support it, feel all tingly and superior and saintly about it, and give other people shit about it without having to learn anything.

It’s the ultimate a$$hole gimmick: something potentially important that requires no knowledge at all!

Knowing what you are talking about is simply not a requirement; in fact, it’s a detriment.

Catlin claims to be surprised by Arctic ice conditions; suggests they won't make it to the Pole

The Catlin Arctic Survey has now released its first set of ice and snow thickness measurements, showing the floating sea ice cover it has travelled over in the early stage is predominantly new ice, with an average thickness of 1.77m. The findings were obtained by manual drilling and are currently being analysed by science partners.

Finding ‘First Year Ice’ in this part of the Ocean was not what the Ice Team had expected at this stage of a route chosen, in conjunction with science advisors, to begin in an area where there would be multi-year ice. It suggests that the older, thicker ice has either moved to a different part of the ocean or has melted. This First Year Ice will only have formed since September 2008 and, being thinner, is less likely to survive the annual summer thaw. It points to an ever-smaller summer ice covering around the North Geographic Pole this year.
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The main focus is now on the manual drilling programme. It currently takes about three hour to complete the data collection at each sampling site and with an increase in activity planned, this will increase, so there will be less time available each day to make headway on the route. It may be that as a result the team ultimately decides not to make the North Geographic Pole its end point.

If they really found thinner than expected ice here, how do we know that the ice isn't thicker than expected elsewhere?