Friday, April 01, 2011

Warmist junk scientists visit the overheated Arctic; spent a lot of time complaining about the extreme cold; admit that the science isn't settled

Extreme science in the Arctic Circle - CNN.com
Wiping sleep from my eyes, I wrestled with my gear as I slipped out of my sleeping bag into the -35 degree centigrade air.

Getting up in the morning can be a struggle in the best of times but in these conditions it is downright brutal.
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As one scientist explained, global climate models have always assumed that the Arctic does not transfer carbon through the sea ice but no one has ever tried to find out if that is true or not. The answer to this question could have huge consequences for our understanding of climate modeling. In 2011 we still know next to nothing about the most important ocean on the planet -- a shocking and irresponsible oversight.
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At these temperatures, a human being would survive about 5 minutes in the water; so it seemed rather counterintuitive that we spent the better part of 8 hours today drilling and chipping through the ice to reach the frigid water below.
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Before people started burning coal and oil, ocean pH (which represents acidity levels) had been relatively stable for the previous 20 million years. But researchers predict that if carbon emissions continue at their current rate, ocean acidity will more than double by 2100.
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There are a lot of variables when trying to film in these conditions. From the hardships the cameraman must endure trying to handle a large, heavy, and complex piece of equipment in such frigid temperatures to the difficulty of organizing the team and delivering simple dialogue to camera, the challenges of making a documentary are multiplied one hundred fold.

Imagine standing with a bare face (so the audience can see who you are) in the wind as your nose and cheeks begin to literally freeze, wearing no goggles so that your eyes start to seal shut each time you blink and an almost unbearable ice cream headache caused by the cold wind whistling around your head all whilst having a casual conversation and speaking calmly and clearly to the camera.
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In the cold, everything takes longer and everything is more fragile, metal can shatter and cloth is brittle. What might be considered an inconvenience in warmer climes, puncturing a hole in the tent or breaking the metal rods that keep it aloft, can be potentially disastrous in the Arctic.
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8: If this is your first time on Ice Base do not confuse your urine bottle for your water bottle

Self-evident, yes. Does it happen? Apparently, yes. At -40 degrees, getting in and out of the tent and the sleeping bags at night is not easy. Everyone keeps a urine bottle in order to go to the bathroom in the tent at night. The challenge is that one has to keep both one's urine bottle and one's water bottle in the sleeping bag with you or they will freeze, so in the dead of night it is easier to mistake the two than you might think.

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