News from the FRONT: The following is the start of a report in the Guardian on Nov. 24 about a planned epic crossing of the Arctic Sea through the north pole that appears to have come unstuck due to thin ice and associated drift in the region.
the report’s headline says a lot: “North QPole Explorers On Thin Ice As Climate Change Hits Expedition”
the start of the report follows:
”It was supposed to be an epic 1,000-mile journey taking in the stunning snow-covered scenery of the North Pole as two adventurers embarked on a brave bid to cross the frozen Arctic Ocean on skis.
“But the experienced explorers’ attempt has, quite literally, been left on thin ice as the pair struggle to navigate the harsh terrain in time – leaving them in a “touch and go” position to finish before food runs out in 12 days.
”Mike Horn, 53, from South Africa, and Norwegian Borge Ousland, 57, set off from Alaska on their three-month journey at the end of August by boat, reaching sea ice on 12 September. Since then they have been travelling on skis pulling sleds with supplies.
“They planned to complete their journey by mid-November, by which time they hoped to have hit the edge of the sea ice where it meets the water so they could be picked up by their vessel, Pangaea.
”However, they have been slowed by the thinning ice, which has been credited to climate change.
“”Because of climate change the ice is thinner than usual, which is more prone to drift,” Lars Ebbesen, the expedition spokesman, told Agence-France Presse.”
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