It hardly gets more challenging than SE Asian jungles at the height of summer. What’s important:
Water and electrolytes are very important and at the height of summer needs to have added electrolytes
Take more water than you need and drink early
We always keep ice and abundant water in the vehicle – ready to be dropped into a back-pack
Everyone is responsible for their own water
Coconuts are a fantastic source of potassium (1,200 mg /coconut!)
Sports drinks are NOT electrolyte replacements as they contain a poor electrolyte balance and way too much glucose.
Hats, long sleeve shirts, trousers, boots (and gaiters) are essential.
Gloves are great, they protect from the sun and against the inevitable ants and vines and trees with spikes and spines.
Do not push yourself, take it easy as it is all too easy to have little capacity left for the unexpected (bushfire, snake bite, injury etc.)
Wildlife is for observing (see the caption below)
Only another 50 metres to the target outcrop! Cambodian jungle. Slow going but its the guy are the front that does all the hard yards! There was cobra seen in this area earlier in the year. When striking it stood >1.5 metres high. The gent who was holding its’ tail was dead within 20 minutes!
Below is an exceptional article from the Queenslander of 1924. A remarkable record so soon after the discovery of Mt Isa and replete with the excitement of such a significant discovery. At the time of writing a mere 145 tons of ore had been shipped. The original has been transcribed from the Queenslander newspaper, where the ink has been absorbed by the newsprint making transcription locally difficult. Some editorial licence has been taken and minor alterations, including conversion into g/t, have been made and images added.
Prospector John Campbell Miles (left) in 1924 with Walter John Davidson (Current Minister Scott Stewart’s great-grandfather), Will Purdy, S Boyce, and EC Saint-Smith, State Geologist.
MOUNT ISA. A GREAT SILVER-LEAD FIELD.
By RANDOLPH BEDFORD. Saturday, January 26, 1924
In 1918 I travelled by Argylla and West Leichhardt to Lagoon Creek – 18 miles west of West Leichardt Telegraph Station returning to Cloncurry by a little east of the Sulieman Creek-Camooweal railway survey, via Bushy Park and Duchess. My journey was made to locate Mica deposits on Mica Creek, and returning from these I passed the Mount Isa field at a distance of a few miles, and on the wrong side of the range, as a hundred other men have done. For, as John Forrest said in explanation of failing to see gold although hw was on the Coolgardie field 23 years before their discovery: “A man gets what he’s looking for, and Forrest was looking for pastoral country.
The Arctic sea ice extent is a mere 1.8% less than the 1979-2019 mean and the third highest in the last 15 years.
Mapped Arctic sea ice extent (SIE) on 09/02/2020 was 14.69 million km2 which is 270,000 km2 or 1.8% less than the 1979-2019 average. This is largest sea ice extent on this day since 2009 and is within 1 standard deviation of the 1979-2019 mean ice extent.
The average sea ice accumulation rate in the last 5 days is 50,000 km2/day. The January 2020 rate of sea ice accumulation is the eight highest in the last 40 years and sea ice extent, volume and thickness are not expected to peak until mid-March 2020.
Sea Ice Extent
MASIE Arctic Sea Ice Extent and SIE Median for the period 1981-2010Arctic Sea Ice Extent (MASIE Database – see above image) for the month of February for the period 1979-2020 with the 1979-2019 average.Annual Arctic sea ice extent 2017-2020 and average and +/- 1SD for the 1917 to 2019
The daily sea ice extent data for February for the period of available data from 1979 to 2020 is shown above. The current sea ice extent is well within the 1 SD of the 1979-2019 average and is the highest since 2009. Arctic sea ice extent shows little trend since 2010.
Arctic sea ice extent is not expected to peak until mid-March 2020.
Daily sea ice extent plot for the period 2006 through 2020. Spot the trend!
The extent of Arctic sea ice varies from summer to winter. The sea ice extent shown here relies on data from the Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS) that runs at the National Ice Centre. The IMS product uses several satellite data sources including passive microwave, but it is also based on visual analysis and other data sources and undergoes a form of manual data fusion. The data reported here has a 1 km resolution and was sourced from the National Snow and Ice Data Centre
The Arctic sea ice extent is within 1 SD of the 1979-2019 mean and the highest since 2009 on this day. It is no surprise that this remains unreported in media. A plot of the sea extent time series from 2007 to 2020 shows no significant trend and lacks any evidence for a crisis in the Arctic.
Mapped Arctic sea ice extent (SIE) on 02/02/2020 was 14.42 million km2 which is 370,000 km2 or 2.5% less than the 1979-2019 average. This is largest sea ice extent on this day since 2009 and is within 1 SD of the 1979-2019 mean ice extent.
The average sea ice accumulation rate in the last 5 days is 55,000 km2/day. The 2019-2020 winter rate of sea ice accumulation is amongst the highest on record and sea ice extent, volume and thickness are not expected to peak until March, 2020.
MASIE Arctic Sea Ice Extent and SIE Median for the period 1981-2010Arctic Sea Ice Extent (MASIE Database – see above image) for the month of February for the period 1979-2020 with the 1979-2019 average.
The daily sea ice extent data for February for the period of available data from 1979 to 2020 is shown above. The current sea ice extent is well within the 1 SD of the 1979-2019 average and is the highest since 2009. Arctic sea ice extent shows little trend since 2010.
Arctic sea ice extent is not expected to peak until March 2020.
Annual Arctic sea ice extent 2017-2020 and average and +/- 1SD for the 1917 to 2019
What can be concluded is that the Arctic is not disappearing and that there is little evidence to support the endless claims over the decades that the Arctic sea ice will vanish during a coming summer. While CO2 has increased during this period sea ice extent has failed to decline as predicted. Where is the crisis in the Arctic as there seems to be no relationship between atmospheric CO2 and Arctic ice extent, volume or thickness (see earlier posts)?
The extent of Arctic sea ice varies from summer to winter. The sea ice extent shown here relies on data from the Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS) that runs at the National Ice Centre. The IMS product uses several satellite data sources including passive microwave, but it is also based on visual analysis and other data sources and undergoes a form of manual data fusion. The data reported here has a 1 km resolution and was sourced from the National Snow and Ice Data Centre
Over the last 20 years at least there have been near continuous press reports of the near-term disappearance of the Maldives, a series of coral atolls in the Indian Ocean. The chain of 26 atolls stretches from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south with an aggregate landmass of about 298 square kilometres (115 sq mi). It is one of the world’s most geographically dispersed sovereign states as well as the smallest Asian country by land area and population, with around 520,000 inhabitants. Malé is the capital and the most populated city, traditionally called the “King’s Island” for its central location.
The alarmist media claims that human induced global warming, resulting from carbon dioxide emissions is to blame for the imminent inundation.
If there is a crisis in the Maldives with the 500,000 about to soon become climate refugees, then it should be evident in the Google Earth imagery. We have compiled the satellite imagery for the Kin Island for every year from 1984 to 2016. You can determine if the Maldives is disappearing.
It can readily be seen in the tide gauge data for Mumbai in India and Fremantle in Western Australia that Indian Ocean sea levels have been rising steadily since record keeping began in the 1800s. There is no evidence in this data (the longest records in the Indian Ocean) that sea levels of recent times are rising catastrophically or have any relationship with atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.
Tide Gauge data from the port of Mumbai in India. (Data: NOAA, Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Service)Tide Gauge data from the port of Fremantle in Western Australia. (Data: NOAA, Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Service)
There is a risk of inundation in the Maldives however it is due to the natural rise of sea level and has nothing to do with human activity and no amount of expenditure will halt this rise in sea level. The Maldives should build to accommodate future sea level rise, rather than blame carbon dioxide emissions and seek rent from western countries.
Media reports would indicate that investors remain keen to invest with numerous new airports and resorts under construction.
With the usual breathless hysteria that has become the mainstay of journalism, the above article goes on to claim that temperatures will plummet to 16C after Hobart saw a record 40.9C – “its hottest day ever”. More of the usual journalistic alarmism playing to the narrative that 21st century temperatures are the highest on record.
The meteorological station in Hobart is located in a built-up area on Ellerslie road and has a nearly continuous temperature record dating from 1882.
Ellerslie Road highest and lowest monthly temperatures (Data: Bureau of Meteorology data for station, 94029)
The graph of the maximum and minimum temperatures for Ellerslie Road shows that 2013 was in fact the highest temperature in the record with a warm 41.8C, but temperatures were comparable in the late 1800s as can be seen. While the maximum temperature is expected to see 16C, this is nothing unusual.
On 30th December 1897 the thermometer recorded 40.6C but fell to 17.4C two days later and was 14.6C a few days before on the 20th December 1897. This is the period of the worst drought in Australia, the Centennial Drought and this high temperature was followed by another record on 1st January 1900 with a peak of 40.6C when only days before, on the 27th December 1899, the maximum was a mere 14.6C.
In Tasmania these temperature fluctuations are nothing uncommon.
Mount Wellington covered in snow after 40C day. (Supplied/Adrian Van Beek)
More interestingly there is a long-term upward trend in both the maximum and minimum temperature data for Ellerslie Road, which is evident in the Mean Maximum Temperature Anomaly map (using a mean of 1882-2020). However, the overall temperature trend seen in other Australian data of high temperatures around 1900 and comparable temperatures today is evident in the data.
Ellerslie Road mean maximum temperature anomaly (Data: Bureau of Meteorology data for station, 94029)
While this might reflect a long-term temperature change for the Hobart region it might also be related to the location of the meteorological station which is now surrounded by roads, houses, car-parks and multistorey buildings.
Ellerslie meteorological station location in a heavily built-up region of central Hobart, Tasmania.
The Arctic sea ice extent is within 1 SD of the 1979-2019 mean and the highest since 2009 on this day. It is no surprise that this remains unreported in media. A plot of the sea extent time series from 2007 to 2020 shows no significant trend and lacks any evidence for a crisis in the Arctic.
Mapped Arctic sea ice extent (SIE) on 30/01/2020 was 14.30 million km2 which is 400,000 km2 or 2.4% less than the 1979-2019 average, Figure 1. This is largest sea ice extent on this day since 2009 and is within 1 SD of the 1979-2019 mean ice extent.
The average sea ice accumulation rate in the last 5 days is 60,000 km2/day. The 2019-2020 winter rate of sea ice accumulation is amongst the highest on record and sea ice extent, volume and thickness are not expected to peak until March, 2020.
Sea Ice Extent
Figure 1, MASIE Arctic Sea Ice Extent and SIE Median for the period 1981-2010Figure 2, Arctic Sea Ice Extent (MASIE Database – see above image) for the month of January for the period 1979-2020 with the 1979-2019 average.
Figure 2, shows the daily sea ice extent data for January for the period of available data from 1979 to 2020. The current sea ice extent is well within the 1 SD of the 1979-2019 average and is the highest since 2009. Arctic sea ice extent shows little trend since 2010, Figure 3.
Arctic sea ice extent is not expected to peak until March 2020, Figure 4.
Figure 3, Daily sea ice extent plot for the period 2006 through 2020.Figure 4 Annual Arctic sea ice extent 2017-2020 and average and +/- 1SD for the 1917 to 2019
Sea Ice Volume
The minimum and maximum sea ice volume declined from 1994 to 2010, Figure 5 but since 2010, Figure 6, has shown little change.
Figure 5, Sea Ice Volume 1979 to 2019 shows decline from 1994 to 2010 but little change in the last decade.Figure 6, Sea Ice Volume for the period from 2006 to 31/12/201. Credit Polar Science Centre, University of Washington
Sea Ice Thickness
Sea ice thickness is calculated from the sea ice volume and sea ice extent, Figure 7, and as would be expected shows a similar trend with decline from 1996 through 2010 and very little change in the last decade, Figure 8.
What can be concluded is that the Arctic is not disappearing and that there is little evidence to support the endless claims over the decades that the Arctic sea ice will vanish during a coming summer. While CO2 has increased during this period sea ice extent has failed to decline as predicted. Where is the crisis in the Arctic as there seems to be no relationship between atmospheric CO2 and Arctic ice extent, volume or thickness?
Figure 7, Arctic Sea Ice Thickness calculated using the NSIDC and PIOMAS data for the period from 1989-2019 (latest data)
Figure 8, Arctic Sea Ice Thickness calculated using the NSIDC and PIOMAS data for the period from 2007-2019 (latest data)
The extent of Arctic sea ice varies from summer to winter. The sea ice extent shown here relies on data from the Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS) that runs at the National Ice Centre. The IMS product uses several satellite data sources including passive microwave, but it is also based on visual analysis and other data sources and undergoes a form of manual data fusion. The data reported here has a 1 km resolution and was sourced from the National Snow and Ice Data Centre
Sea Ice Volume is calculated using the Pan-Arctic Ice Ocean Modelling and Assimilation System (PIOMAS Zhang and Rothrock, 2003) developed at APL/PSC. Sea ice volume depends on areal extent and thickness and while extent can be readily measured, thickness cannot and the estimate used here relies on assimilation of observations into numerical models as a way to estimate volume on a continuous basis.
Mapped Arctic sea ice extent (SIE) on 25/01/2020 was 14.11 million km2 which is 420,000 km2 or 2.9% less than the 2008-2018 median. This is largest sea ice extent on this day since 2014. The current sea ice accumulation rate is 65,000 km2/day, the fifth highest since 1979.
Figure 1 MASIE Arctic Sea Ice Extent and SIE Median for the period 1981-2010
Figure 2 Arctic Sea Ice Extent (MASIE Database – see above image) for the month of January for the period 2000-2020 with the 1988-2018 median
The extent of Arctic sea ice varies from summer to winter. The sea ice extent shown here relies on data from the Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS) that runs at the National Ice Center. The IMS product uses several satellite data sources including passive microwave, but it is also based on visual analysis and other data sources and undergoes a form of manual data fusion. The data reported here has a 1 km resolution and was sourced from the National Snow and Ice Data Center
Mapped Arctic sea ice extent (SIE) on 15/1/2020 was 13.57 million km2 which is 560,000 km2 or 4% less than the 2008-2018 median. This is largest sea ice extent on this day since 2015.
MASIE Arctic Sea Ice Extent and SIE Median for the period 1981-2010Arctic Sea Ice Extent (MASIE Database – see above image) for the month of January for the period 2000-2020 with the 1988-2018 median
The extent of Arctic sea ice varies from summer to winter. The sea ice extent shown here relies on data from the Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS) that runs at the National Ice Center. The IMS product uses several satellite data sources including passive microwave, but it is also based on visual analysis and other data sources and undergoes a form of manual data fusion. The data reported here has a 1 km resolution and was sourced from the National Snow and Ice Data Center
Daily Rate of Arctic Sea Ice Accumulation in 2019 Approaches Record High
The well known reduction in Arctic Sea Ice extent during the summer months continued during 2019. This trend has been recorded since the beginning of the satellite instrumental record. The minimum ice extent has fallen from 6.9 million km2 in 1979 to 4 million km2 in 2019 while the maximum ice extent has fallen from 16.6 million km2 to 14.9 million km2 in 2019.
The median ice extent shows a consistent linear trend from 12.8 million km2 in 1979 to 11 million km2 in 2019.
Figure 1 Minimum, Maximum and Media of Arctic sea ice for the period 1979 through 2019
The average daily rate of melting from April through August has increased from 54,000 km2 per day in 1979 to peak in 2011 at 74,000 km2 per day.
Interestingly the daily rate rate of sea ice accumulation in the period October through December has increased from 67,000km2 in 1979 to peak at 95,000km2 in 2012. The current daily rate of accumulation in 2019-2020 is again approaching the highest levels in the instrumental record. Difficult to see anything other than natural processes in this record given its limited duration. Historic records however suggest that the low summer ice extent recorded of recent time was as common in the early 20th century.
Figure 2 Rate of melting (Red) and Accumulation (Blue) of Arctic Sea Ice during the period 1979 through 2019
The sea ice extent data discussed here relies on data from the Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS) that runs at the National Ice Center. The IMS product uses several satellite data sources including passive microwave, but it is also based on visual analysis and other data sources and undergoes a form of manual data fusion. The data reported here was sourced from the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
