Ahhh, those irrepressible Alaskans. They’re all criminally insane, you know, especially that former governor of theirs. And now word wafts southward of an annual Alaskan contest that may bring global warming guru Al Gore to room temperature.
The Nenana Ice Classic is an Alaskan lottery which has been run each year since 1917. In January the townspeople mount a tripod out on the frozen Tanana River which runs through the town. The tripod is secured firmly to the ice and a rope runs from the tripod to a clock mechanism on the shore. When the ice breaks up, usually in late April or early May, the tripod gives way, and trips the clock.
The earliest ever ice break up was recorded at 3.27 PM, 20 April, 1940. The latest ever break-up was recorded at 11.41 AM, 20 May, 1964. Past break-up details here. Historically, the ice has broken most often between about 29 April and 8 May. Last year, the ice broke when many alarmists were distracted by their annual May Day celebrations.
Over the years, this event has mirrored global trends with, for example, the second earliest break-up occurring during the famously warm 1998, and the latest year, 1964, remembered worldwide as a cold year. Serious scientific studies have been done on the event and one climate change scientist described it as “a pretty good proxy for climate change”.
The ShadowLands invites commenters to make your best guess. The reader who supplies the closest guess will win our acclaim as well as a mandate for us to believe whatever they say about global warming for the next 12 months. They may also use the term “Closest Guesser, Nenana Ice Classic” on all official correspondence.
Enter today. And watch Al Gore’s face drain of all blood if it breaks the record for latest thaw.
H/T: Tim Blair
