Sunderland experts study 18th Century Arctic voyages

BBC ^ | December 23, 2010 | Unknown

[decimon]

Ships' logs from vessels which travelled in the Arctic Circle in the 18th Century are to be studied to see if they shed light on climate change.

A team from Sunderland University will study records kept by explorers, whalers and merchants during trips which took place up to 260 years ago.

They want to see if the logs provide clues about the ice levels in the area at that time.

They will be analysing log books written between 1750 and 1850.

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"The Arctic environmentally is a hugely important area, but we need to know how it's behaved in the past in order that we can assess how it's going to behave in the future.

"You can't look forward without looking back.

"This is no longer just a scientific issue - climate change is of global, political concern."

[decimon]

His Majefty’s ping.

[Inwoodian]

If you don’t know how the climate behaved in the past why do you believe in man-made warming?

[Christian Engineer Mass]

“They want to see if the logs provide clues about the ice levels in the area at that time”

I’m sure such a thing could and will be interpreted any way you like.

[muawiyah]

It's not interpretive at all to note that the earliest voyages from Russia to Alaska took place through the Arctic ocean.

Russian Ice Breakers can do that easily these days, but in times past with wooden boats, such trips could occur only with reasonably open water for several months of the year.

It's much more important to note that once the Russians got to Alaska they found it necessary to sail South to California to find a source of fresh vegetables. Otherwise their settlements in Alaska would perish.

Today folks grow gardens in the Aleutians and in Alaska with ease.

There are regional climate changes that are not all good, nor bad, nor consistent with either warming or cooling in all respects. Technology changes too.

[steelyourfaith]

Thanx decimon !

 

Beam me to Planet Gore !

[DariusBane]

It’s just another worthless study grounded in globull warming mythology. Yes, we know that the earth has been colder. We also know the earth has been warmer. That will be 3.3 million pouns please.

[decimon]

“They want to see if the logs provide clues about the ice levels in the area at that time”

I’m sure such a thing could and will be interpreted any way you like.

You can make the data fit the scheme. Guess we'll have to wait three years to know.

[SunkenCiv]

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[Dilbert San Diego]

Haven’t we been in a long term trend of global warming since the end of the last ice age?

And haven’t there been numerous ice ages during earth’s history?

The end of the last ice age was not triggered by Cro-Magnon man or Neanderthals driving SUVs or operating coal-fired power plants, so what exactly caused global warming events in the past?

[Free Vulcan]

"This is not no longer just a scientific issue - climate change is of global, political concern."

Fixed it!