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Ice Cube

U.S. breaker to help Russian, Chinese ships stuck in Antarctic ice

Peter Cooney
yahoo.com
Sun, 05 Jan 2014 08:35 UTC
Image
© REUTERS/U.S. Coast Guard
Polar Star, the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker, is seen in a handout photo taken in Antarctica April 4, 1999.
The United States is sending a heavy icebreaker to help free a Russian ship and a Chinese icebreaker gripped by Antarctic ice, the Coast Guard said on Saturday.

The Polar Star is responding to a request for assistance from Australian authorities as well as from the Russian and Chinese governments, it said in a statement.

"The U.S. Coast Guard stands ready to respond to Australia's request," Coast Guard Pacific Area Commander Vice Admiral Paul Zukunft said. "Our highest priority is safety of life at sea, which is why we are assisting in breaking a navigational path for both of these vessels."

A Chinese icebreaker that helped rescue 52 passengers from a Russian ship stranded in Antarctic ice found itself stuck in heavy ice on Friday.

The Snow Dragon ferried the passengers from the stranded Russian ship to an Australian icebreaker late on Thursday. It now had concerns about its own ability to move through heavy ice, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.

The Russian-owned research ship left New Zealand on November 28 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of an Antarctic journey led by Australian explorer Douglas Mawson.
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Snowflake Cold

Midwest to New England preparing for another arctic blast in the next few days that could be even worse

Rodrique Ngowi and Michelle R. Smith
yahoo.com
Sat, 04 Jan 2014 08:18 UTC
Image
© AP Photo, John Hart, Wisconsin State Journal)
As frigid weather takes hold on the upper Midwest, Kristy Gruley of Madison, Wis. is well-bundled against the elements while walking in the city Friday, Jan. 3, 2014.
A blanket of white provided the Northeast with little relief from teeth-chattering temperatures that forecasters said will rise over the weekend before plunging again.

At least 16 deaths were blamed on the storm as it swept across the nation's eastern half, including three people who officials said died at least partly because of the extreme cold.

The snowfall had all but stopped by Friday morning in the hard-hit Philadelphia-to-Boston corridor and though the temperatures reached only the teens or single digits, the cold kept the snow powdery and light.

"The snow is easy to move because the air was so cold when it snowed that it's sort of light and fluffy stuff - but, uh, it's cold," Avalon "Nick" Minton said as he cleared the entrance to his garage and sidewalk in Arlington, Mass. "That's the main part. It's cold."

And officials from the Midwest to New England are preparing for another arctic blast in the next few days that could be even worse.
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Ice Cube

At least 13 died in deadly U.S. winter storm

Anthony Castellano
abcnews.go.com
Fri, 03 Jan 2014 08:05 UTC
Image
© Kiichiro Sato/AP Photo

A park crew clears the snow around Annish Kapoor's stainless steel Cloud Gate sculpture at Millennium Park, Jan. 2, 2014, as snow continues to accumulate in downtown Chicago.
At least 13 deaths have been attributed to the winter storm that walloped the Northeast with snow overnight and delivered bone-chilling temperatures today. Much of the Northeast is getting bone-chilling temperatures in the aftermath of the storm.

Several deaths occurred because of bad conditions on the roadways, according to The Associated Press. And in western New York, a 71-year-old woman with Alzheimer's disease reportedly froze to death after wandering from her rural home.

Though most of the snow had stopped falling by this morning, officials continued to warn residents against spending too much time outside.
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Ice Cube

Newfoundland in massive blackout after storm wallops Atlantic Canada


National Post
Sat, 04 Jan 2014 14:45 UTC
Image
Much of Newfoundland, including in the St. John's area, is in the dark after a fire at a power station early Saturday knocked out power in the province.

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro's Sunnyside terminal station caught fire causing the Holyrood Generating Station to shut down.

Newfoundland Power on Twitter said that about 125,000 customers are affected and full restoration may not happen until Sunday.
Here's a glimpse into the fire at sunnyside: http://t.co/QUvaCuKV9F -
Ariana Kelland (@arianakelland) January 04, 2014
Newfoundland had already been grappling with rolling blackouts implemented Thursday evening by the utility as it tried to cope with increased demand because of bitterly cold temperatures.

The blackout comes as much of Atlantic Canada spent Saturday cleaning up after a powerful blizzard which is blamed for cancelled flights and dangerous driving conditions.

The weather system whipped through the Maritimes Friday before passing southeast of Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula overnight.
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Snowflake Cold

Historic freeze could break Midwest temp records

Carson Walker
Yahoo! News
Sat, 04 Jan 2014 12:00 UTC
Image
It has been decades since parts of the Midwest experienced a deep freeze like the one expected to arrive Sunday, with potential record-low temperatures heightening fears of frostbite and hypothermia - even in a region where bundling up is second nature.

This "polar vortex," as one meteorologist calls it, is caused by a counterclockwise-rotating pool of cold, dense air. The frigid air, piled up at the North Pole, will be pushed down to the U.S., funneling it as far south as the Gulf Coast.

Ryan Maue, of Tallahassee, Fla., a meteorologist for Weather Bell, said records will likely be broken during the short yet forceful deep freeze - a perfect combination of the jet stream, cold surface temperatures and the polar vortex - that will begin Sunday and extend into early next week.

"All the ingredients are there for a near-record or historic cold outbreak," he said "If you're under 40 (years old), you've not seen this stuff before."

Before the polar plunge, Saturday marked the day Earth is the closest it gets to the sun each year. The planet orbits the sun in an oval and on average is about 93 million miles away. But every January, Earth is at perihelion, and on Saturday, it was only 91.4 million miles from the sun.

But that proximity doesn't affect the planet's temperatures, and the predictions are startling: 25 below zero in Fargo, N.D., minus 31 in International Falls, Minn., and 15 below in Indianapolis and Chicago. At those temperatures, exposed skin can get frostbitten in minutes and hypothermia can quickly set in as wind chills may reach 50, 60 or even 70 below zero.
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Ice Cube

December 31 global sea ice area was the largest ever recorded

Steven Goddard
Real Science
Sat, 04 Jan 2014 09:41 UTC
Climate experts say that global warming is melting sea ice faster than expected, which is why the poles currently have the most sea ice ever measured for the date.
Global sea ice area
© Unknown
Source
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Snow Globe

Antarctic team studying 'global warming' still trapped in ice


CBN News
Fri, 03 Jan 2014 00:00 UTC
Image
Fifty-two scientists and tourists rescued from a trapped vessel in the Antarctic still can't get home.

On Thursday, a helicopter flew the stranded passengers off the icepack in groups of 10 and 12. Their ship had been trapped in the ice for more than 10 days.

Now, they're stuck again, this time because the Chinese icebreaker that sent the helicopter fears it could get stuck as well.

The Australian ship meant to carry the passengers home is hanging around in case it's needed to rescue the Chinese.
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Igloo

Increased sea ice 'due to global warming' seizes another vessel in Antarctica: Now icebreaker Xue Long issues distress call!

P Gosselin
NoTricksZone
Fri, 03 Jan 2014 14:58 UTC
Chinese Vessel
© Rob Burch
The Chinese vessel, Xue Long, has expressed fears that it has also become stuck in the ice.
Yet another vessel has been trapped by global warming sea ice! The Xue Long icebreaker has sent out a distress call.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has released another press release:
Aurora Australis on standby as a precautionary measure

Xue Long notified AMSA at 1pm AEDT this afternoon it has concerns about their ability to move through heavy ice in the area. The Aurora Australis has been placed on standby by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's (AMSA) Rescue Coordination Centre Australia (RCC Australia) to remain in open water in the area as a precautionary measure. The Xue Long has advised RCC Australia that it will attempt to manoeuvre through the ice when tidal conditions are most suitable during the early hours of 4 January 2014.

There is no immediate danger to personnel on board the Xue Long."
Prof Turney tweets he is gutted by the news. I guess he can't believe that climate warming could trap so many ships in sea ice. His communication manager just announced that all the new sea ice is caused by global warming, see my last post.
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Ice Cube

Chinese icebreaker that helped rescue global warming researchers now stuck in Antarctic ice

Robert Felix
iceagenow.info
Fri, 03 Jan 2014 14:22 UTC
Image

The Chinese vessel, Xue Long, has expressed fears that it has also become stuck in the ice
The sorry saga continues.

3 Jan 2014 - The Chinese icebreaker that helped rescue "climate change" researchers from a Russian ship trapped in Antarctic ice found itself stuck in heavy ice on Friday.

A helicopter from the Chinese Snow Dragon plucked the passengers from the icebound Russian vessel - the Akademik Shokalskiy - to an Australian icebreaker late on Thursday.

But on Friday afternoon, the crew of the Chinese icebreaker said they were worried about their own ship's ability to move through the heavy ice, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.

The Australian icebreaker carrying the rescued passengers, the Aurora Australis, has been instructed to remain on standby in open water in the area "as a precautionary measure", the rescue agency said.

The Chinese icebreaker got within sight of the Akademik Shokalskiy on Saturday, but turned back after failing to break through the ice, more than 3 meters (10 feet) thick in some places.

A French flagged icebreaker also tried to help, but abandoned its efforts because of strong winds and heavy snow.
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Snowflake Cold

Toronto 'exploring' call to army for ice storm help, deputy mayor says

Josh Wingrove
The Globe and Mail
Fri, 03 Jan 2014 08:49 UTC
Image
© FRED LUM/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
A Toronto Hydro worker uses a chainsaw to clear branches from around power lines at Pine and Willow Avenue in Toronto on Dec. 23, 2013.
Toronto's deputy mayor says he is "exploring" whether to call in the army, with the city facing a lengthy and costly cleanup after an ice storm that knocked out power to 300,000 homes and other buildings.

Norm Kelly said extra hands could be needed to get rid of fallen trees, branches and other debris as the scale of the task ahead becomes clear - on Thursday, the city said cleanup will cost $75-million and take up to eight weeks.

The notion of calling in the army was raised among city staff early in the ice storm response, Mr. Kelly said. "And it was met with guffaws because people remember Mel Lastman moving around town in an armoured carrier," he told The Globe and Mail, referring to the former mayor's 1999 decision to call in the army to battle a snowstorm.

But as cleanup cost figures were made public Thursday, Mr. Kelly - who was handed extra powers when council stripped Mayor Rob Ford of some of his roles - asked his staff to explore how they'd make a request for soldiers.

"It's just [a question of] manpower. It's just, if we can get a lot of guys here and we can get into neighbourhoods and just say, 'Hey, can we give you a hand and get that stuff out?' ... I'm not sure technically how the army and its reserves could fit into that, so it's something I'm exploring," he said.
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