Amount of ice in Bering Sea reaches all-time record April 12, 2012

Hippies get it wrong again

Hippies get it wrong again.

Posted in Science, 11th April 2012 09:18 GMT

The amount of floating ice in the Arctic’s Bering Sea – which had long been expected to retreat disastrously by climate-Cassandra organisations such as Greenpeace – reached all-time record high levels last month, according to US researchers monitoring the area using satellites.

The US National Snow and Ice Data Center announced last week that ice extent in the Bering for the month of March has now been collated and compared, and is the highest seen since records began. The NSIDC boffins said in a statement:

As winds from the north pushed Arctic ice southward through the Bering Strait, the ice locked together and formed a structurally continuous band known as an ice arch, which acts a bit like a keystone arch in a building. The ice arch temporarily held back the ice behind it, but as the winds continued, the arch failed along its southern edge, and ice cascaded south through the strait into the Bering Sea. Sea ice also piled up on the northern coast of St Lawrence Island, streaming southward on either side of it.

This contrasts sharply with the grim future for the Bering predicted by Greenpeace. Thirteen years ago in 1999, the hippies* had this to say:

The first regions to be affected will be ice-dependent seas near but outside the Arctic Ocean proper, including the Bering Sea … These areas are currently covered in seasonal winter ice, which could vanish altogether with continued warming.

Walruses, which travel long distances on floating sea ice that allows them to feed over a wide area may be particularly vulnerable …

Many species of seal are ice-dependent, including the spotted seal, which in the Bering Sea breeds exclusively at the ice edge in spring; the harp seal, which lives at the ice edge all year; the ringed seal, which give birth to and nurse their pups on sea ice; the ribbon seal and the bearded seal.

Polar bears would be threatened by any decline in ringed seal populations, their main food source.

Which now looks alarmist to say the least.

The NSIDC boffins add, however that overall the Arctic ice – while up on recent years – is below the average seen since records began in 1979. In fact, according to the Cryosphere Today website run by the Polar Research group at Illinois uni, it’s down by 443,000 square km. However the sea ice around the Antarctic coasts is above average by 452,000 km², so overall the planet’s sea ice is at the moment slightly above average in extent – and in the Bering Sea, the walruses, seals and polar bears can quite literally chill out in comfort. ®

Standard Bootnote on Why Greenpeace are Definitely Hippies

*We’ve had various mail and comments from people who object to the characterisation of Greenpeace as a bunch of hippies. We would refer you to the words of Greenpeace International’s Director of Information Technology & New Media, Brian Fitzgerald, a multi-decade veteran of the organisation and its top worldwide mouthpiece and IT expert. In aninduction speech for new Greenpeace people which he has given “again and again and again” he says:

Greetings, hippies!

Aha, I see a few of you cringing — but you’re in Greenpeace now … Which means you’re hippies …

And if you, dear hippies, are going to make a difference in this organization, you’re going have to embrace that madness. You’re just gonna have to honor your hippy roots, find your inner mystic…

So, welcome hippies … hold on to your hippy heart.

If you work for Greenpeace, you’re a hippy – it’s compulsory. This is just a fact, and one confirmed by the organisation itself. QED – Greenpeace are a bunch of hippies.

Source

Bobcat and Fawn Find Friendship after Fire October 8, 2009

Fawn and Bobcat 2

A wildfire in Santa Barbara, California last month helped forge some unlikely bonds.  Rescued from the Jesusita Fire, a 3-week old bobcat kitten and 3 day old fawn became fast friends.  The animal rescue in California brought predator and prey together.  But these babies simply took comfort in each other’s company, snuggling under a desk at a dispatch office for hours.

The bobcat and fawn would not normally be placed together, due to regulations, but the rescuers had no choice.  They snagged the bobcat kitten first, finding it dehydrated and near death.  Later, they brought in the fawn and discovered they didn’t have a crate large enough for it.  No matter – the kitten ran right over to the fawn, and the two became fast friends.

Thanks to the tireless dedication of volunteer efforts of the Animal Rescue Team, and the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, these two animals, and many others were rescued from the destructive Jesusita fire.

As noted in an Animal Planet blog post:

“All of these Santa Barbara area animal rescue organizations have put out a national plea for donations because of the overwhelming need for animal food, medicines, and space to house displaced animals. ART currently leases a 1.5-acre plot of land that houses rescued animals in enclosures on the property, which require around-the-clock care, and the organization is desperate to purchase the land. The morning after Di Sieno – along with an insanely cute bobcat cub and fawn photo – appeared on the Ellen Degeneres show – the landowner decided he needed to sell it and she’s concerned for the future of the animals she and her fellow workers just rescued. The WCN also seeks funds for their Oiled and Injured Seabird Rehab Center, and receive no City, State or federal funding. One of their volunteers, Nancy Callahan, runs W.I.L.D.E. Services which focuses on raccoons and opossums, had her home and facility burnt to the ground and must start over from scratch. After rehabilitation, the groups reintroduce rescued animals to the wild.”

Fire season is just starting, and with drought conditions in Southern California, there could be more wildfires in the coming months.  If you’d like to make a donation to help the animal rescue organizations, follow the links above to the non-profits’ websites.  Bobcat and fawn thank you!

Fawn and Bobcat 2