Hadow’s yacht Snowdragon II undergoes a test sail from Nome, Alaska
Hadow’s yacht Snowdragon II undergoes a test sail from Nome, AlaskaCONOR MCDONNELL

Pen Hadow, the British explorer, is today due to start a sailing expedition across the Arctic Ocean to highlight the effects of climate change, including an attempt to reach the North Pole.

The voyage will see Hadow’s Arctic Mission expedition, which will involve two yachts, traverse regions of open water that were once permanently blocked by pack ice.

This weekend, however, scientists said satellite images suggested the North Pole would remain inaccessible except by an icebreaker.

This summer has already seen the Arctic sea ice reach its fifth-lowest recorded area in July, falling to 3.2m square miles, about 610,000 square miles below the long-term average. Since then it has declined even further, reaching 2.3m square miles last week.

Scientists warned, though, that despite the rapid melting of the ice there was unlikely to be access to the North Pole via open water for some years.

Professor Mark Serreze, director of America’s National Snow and Ice Data Centre, said the North Pole was still surrounded by nearly 800 miles of solid pack ice as of last week.

#

Related Links: 

Past failed polar treks: 

Flashback 2009: Arctic Comedy: Global warming trek ‘makes it less than half way’ to North Pole due to temps dropping below -40C!

NO JOKE! Global warming activists ‘stuck’ in Arctic ice! See temps drop ‘dramatically’ during Arctic trek & faces frost bite! – September 3, 2008

NBC film crew stranded in Arctic on icebreaker 3 weeks ‘inclement weather’ – September 26, 2008

Factsheet on the ‘Gore Effect’– ‘Happens when global warming-related event, or appearance by Gore is marked by exceedingly cold weather/snow’

Flashback: Watch Now: The ‘Gore Effect’ strikes global warming rally in DC — The ‘Gore Effect’ lives on!

Report: Helicopter rescue possible for ship stuck off Antarctica

The Antarctic ‘research’ fiasco – ‘would you, could you, in a boat’? — Dr. Richard Tol mocks: ‘There has been a strong and statistically significant upward trend in climate-change-related public-relations disasters’

Media Glosses Over Irony of Global Warming Scientists Trapped in Antarctic Ice 

Warmists trapped by irony off Antarctica

Alarmists stuck in Antarctica will probably be saved by a helicopter

Blizzard, ‘Damn Cold’ And Thick Sea Ice Thwart Latest Global Warming Research Ship Rescue Attempt! 

Antarctic Rescue Put On Hold

Global Warming Expedition Remains Trapped…’No Guarantee’ Australian Icebreaker Will Get Through 3-Meter Thick Ice!’

Veteran Meteorologist Joe Bastardi Calls Climate Scientists’ Claims That More Sea Ice Proves Global Warming ‘Just Really Despicable’

Flashback 2004: UK’s Chief Scientist Sir David King declares: ‘Why Antarctica will soon be the only place to live – literally’ due to global warming — Fast Forward to 2013: UK Guardian global warming reporter says that the Antarctic summer is too cold for humans: 

83 years ago today, Lord Doublas Mawson was sailing along the Antarctic coast. In 2013, global warming nutcases trying to retrace Mawson’s route are hoping an icebreaker comes and saves them’

1969 New York Times: Princeton scientists worried that Antarctic ice would start a new ice age – 1969 Theory in NYT: ‘Ice ages start when a large section of the Antarctic ice sheet slips off the continent, and spreads to form an ice shelf as large as Asia and 600 feet thick. This ice would reflect back into space so much solar energy that the world would cool enough to start an ice age.’

Antarctic ice blocks ice breaker sent to rescue climate researchers trapped in — ice

Antarctic Sea Ice 26% Above Normal

Australian climate change professor Chris Turney of U. of New South Wales who warned about melting East Antarctic remains trapped in thick ice – Turney: ‘There is an increasing body of evidence, including by the AAE members, that have identified parts of the East Antarctic which are highly susceptible to melting and collapse from ocean warming’

Shock: Warmist goes to Antarctica to draw attention to global warming, gets severe frostbite, abandons mission — ‘Ranulph Fiennes pulls out of Antarctic trek after suffering severe frostbite’

Flashback 2009: Arctic Comedy: Global warming trek ‘makes it less than half way’ to North Pole due to temps dropping below -40C!

Antarctic fiasco update: Chinese rescue icebreaker now also stuck in ice

Global Warming Strikes Antarctic Science Team

Turns out this ‘research’  vessel was mostly a taxpayer funded junket for getting video stories to BBC in the UK and ABC in Australia.

Top Scientists : Either Shrinking Or Expanding Antarctic Sea Ice Is A Sign Of Global Warming Catastrophe