The Chatter Box

Arctic Ice July 2011For much of the written history of the Arctic, exceptional extents of open water were reported in terms of what the explorer, fisherman, whaler or sealer had previously experienced.  That would make such events likely every 20 to 30 years.  However, for each report of open ice in a specific area there is likely to be found in the archives a report from 180 degrees opposite across the pole of a greater than usual ice extent.

History Mysteries #2 - The Sawdust CoastAccording to Peter Freuchen, writing of his travels in Siberia, circa 1936,  the tundra coast near Tiksi in the Lena Delta was fringed with logs and the sea bottom contained "hundreds of thousands of years of sawdust".  To the best of my knowledge, this remarkable phenomenon - a Siberian 'sawdust coast' - has never been studied scientifically.Peter FreuchenPeter Freuchen was a scientist.  However, for much of his life he was known to various people according to the various talents which make him seem like a character from a work of fiction.

History Mysteries #1 - Who Shot The Tomatoes?orThe Astonishment of a Sailor on Finding Buckshot in His Portion of Tomatoes.Hidden in the details of the Jeannette Expedition one finds a factor in common with the Franklin Expedition: lead poisoning.The Jeannette Expedition

History, Science and the TMT BoundaryTo the extent that written records show political, religious or other personal bias, it may be truly said that history is bunk.  Or we may say with Henry Ford that history - as a list of dates of political events - is bunk.  But if we take the term 'history' as inclusive of everything known about the past that has a bearing on our current collective human knowledge, then history is a most valuable asset.

Arctic Ice June 2011The sun is the main driver of climate and weather.  The Arctic solar year could be plotted as a graph of the angle of the sun relative to the horizon,  negative in winter and positive in summer.  The graph would be a very neat waveform which varied little in amplitude or in frequency on decadal timescales.  By way of contrast, any graph of any effect of the sun's relative angle will vary from year to year.  Although the sun will warm the air, land, sea, snow and ice, it will never do so in exactly the same way during any two years. 

E. Coli - Tracing The SourceIn a few words, most reports are false, and the timidity of men acts as a multiplier of lies and untruths.Clausewitz

Henry Ford - Quote: "History Is Bunk"It isn't an urban myth: Henry Ford really did say: "History is bunk."It is somewhat ironic that Henry Ford's words - "history is bunk" - are now a part of the historic record.  What is not clear from most writings about Henry Ford is the context in which he gave his views of history.  I hope to remedy that defect somewhat."Understanding Henry Ford is more than a puzzle; it is a pursuit."The Detroit Saturday Night, cited by -Henry A. Wise Wood, The New York Times, May 17, 1916

Grímsvötn Ash PlumeGrímsvötn, an ice-capped volcano in the south of Iceland is currently erupting.  The ice cap is quite extensive and thick, so unless there are unknown sub-surface fissures, extensive local flooding is unlikely to result from the eruption.The volcano is likely to melt only the ice immediately over and adjacent to the caldera.  Melt water intrusion into magma can increase the production of tephra, as happened with last year's eruption of Eyjafjallajökull.  However, the ice cap of Grímsvötn is so thick that the erupting volcano will probably do no more than melt a hole through the icecap.

Zombies Ate My Research AssistantNow it can be told: the hidden truth behind the climate change hoax.  Global warming may not be real, but zombies are!  If you don't believe me, go argue with America's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention: Zombie apocalypse survival guide published by US government.

Arctic Ice May 2011 - Update #1Even if it leaves you too tired to come back and read my own humble offerings - but I hope you do come back  -  there are two very topical blog posts that I want to recommend to you:Tell good stories that entertain and are relevant. It is so easy to say “use simple everyday life language”, but for a scientist who are trained to do the exact opposite it hurts. Almost physically.

The Mississippi Floods

Arctic Ice May 2011The great thing about the scientific method is that we can figure out what will happen if we do something before we do it.  Scientists figured out long ago that burning fossil fuels and putting CO2 into the atmosphere at a great rate would affect the planet's climate systems.  Which it has.  One of the predictions about the effect of dumping CO2 into the atmosphere was that the Arctic would be affected most.  Which it has been.  Scientists predicted an Arctic acceleration or amplification: a process where positive feedbacks become ever stronger with ever less Arctic ice.  Ice loss is accelerating.