Source: KUSI-TV
URL: http://www.kusi.com/video?clipId=9686594&autostart=true
Date: 31/12/2013
Event: People on the Akademik Shokalskiy "seem to be partying their way through this situation"
Credit: KUSI-TV
People:
Sandra Maas: Ringing in the New Year, stranded on a ship in Antarctica - the 74 people trapped on board the research ship are still waiting to be rescued. To keep morale up, and to keep busy, they sang an original song written by one of the passengers today. [Footage of a group of people singing and waving their arms.] They're waiting for the weather to improve before a helicopter can get them out of there. Their ship got caught in unusually thick ice. It has not moved in a week, and icebreaker ships have not been able to reach it without risking getting stuck themselves. A helicopter will transfer 52 passengers, a dozen at a time, to another ship, and the 22 crew members will remain on board.
Ross Becker: KUSI's John Coleman has been tracking the weather conditions in the Antarctic. He joins us now, with more on the weather factor of this ongoing crisis. John.
John Coleman: Don't be so certain about that helicopter rescue - I don't know when it's going to happen, or if it is. Though the people aboard this vessel seem to be partying their way through this situation, so far, a ship caught in the [Ant]Arctic ice - that's very serious, it's life-threatening. It is ironic that a trip to the South Pole, designed down there in the Southern Hemisphere in summer, by the way, designed to trumpet the melting of polar ice because of global warming, became entrapped in record ice. And it's also ironic that Dave Scott suddenly found himself involved. He joins us to explain that San Diego part of the story.
Dave Scott: Thanks, John - it's absolutely remarkable. I got involved when I received a call today from Dr. Philip McGillivary, a scientist aboard the US coastguarder Polar Star. Now, this ship is amazing - its job is to go right through that polar ice, right through and cut through, and be able to rescue people or do research, as well. I met Philip two years ago, when I was working on a "World of Wonder" [?] on legendary Scripps oceanographer Walter Munk. And Dr. McGillivary asked if I could send any weather information at all, as they needed all the help they can get. So, meteorologist John Coleman and myself immediately began researching and contacting other meteorologists, putting together information. We got some solid forecasts, and we sent it to the crew on the Polar Star. And one of my contacts was at the US Navy, and they are working with the Coastguard, and the Coastguard office immediately sent me this statement - let me read it to you.
"The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is coordinating the rescue operations of the Russian-flagged ship Akademik Shokalskiy" - that's the one that's stranded. "The US Coastguard is in communications with Australia, regarding our closest asset, the US Coastguard cutter Polar Star, which is still a ways out from being able to assist. Now the Polar Star is scheduled to make a port call to take on provisions before it can travel any further south to Antarctica. If the vessel is still stuck in the ice, and the Australians request our assistance, we will reassess the situation and offer assistance as we are able. Very respectfully, CWO2 Allyson Conroy" - she's the Assistant Public Affairs Officer.
Now, in other words, the US Coastguard is standing by, and the information John and I have sent was well thanked by them today, aboard the Polar Star, and will be used in a briefing tomorrow. John, great job - you know, they are looking forward to hearing any good news about any offshore - some katabatic winds, offshore winds, that might help break that ice, my friend.
John Coleman: So, when I heard from Dave, I immediately turned to Anthony Watts of IntelliWeather, and my friends Joe D'Aleo and Joe Bastardi of Weather Bell. And they supplied the needed computer forecast maps - they came flooding in to us immediately. And they were transferred on to the scientists there, aboard that vessel off the north coast of Antarctica. I then asked Anthony Watts to explain the seriousness of the situation, and if the forecast provided any hope for those that were stuck in the bitter cold of the Antarctic.
Anthony Watts: Sea ice can exert tremendous pressure on hulls - even steel hulls can crumble easily under the pressures exerted by sea ice. And in the case of this particular ship being trapped, its wind-driven sea ice, and we're waiting for the winds to change. If the winds change to become more offshore, more katabatic winds, they may be able to free themselves, down there. But right now, the forecast looks to be, for about eight days at least, before we see any change in the wind patterns. But the sitrep report - one of them said that they were having trouble with some of the enhanced plating on the ship. Now this was plating that helps keep the pressure from crushing the ship - they have extra plating - and some of that plating had been damaged, and they were trying to repair it, on-site. So, yeah, there is a precarious situation there, depending upon how much winds come by, and how much pressure there is from mainly the wind-driven ice - that ship could very well buckle and sink, like we've seen for some of the other ones.
John Coleman: Here are Anthony Watts' pictures of vessels that have been lost in the [Ant]Arctic ice in the past, and they really add emphasis to the need of a solution for this problem. And so, on the one hand, they need a strong wind to break up that ice, and on the other hand they need a light wind and clear skies for a helicopter evacuation. Well, for now, they have neither.
And here's an added irony. In 2007, and again in 2009, Al Gore told us that the ice, at least the North Pole, was going to be totally melted by the summer of 2013.
Al Gore: Bob used the figure of 2030. And the volumetric analysis leads this - Dr. Maslowski to make that projection. We will find out.
John Coleman: Well, the irony of it aside, this is becoming a very serious situation, and we're going to do our best to help with the weather information, so those on that vessel can make decisions, sound decisions, about what to do next. Ross and Sandra?