Image copyright Twitter/@CancilleriaARG Image caption ARA Almirante Iríza had to break through thick ice to get near the research camp

The Argentine navy has rescued four US scientists and a contractor from an Antarctic camp after the US icebreaker due to pick them up could not reach them because of thick sea-ice.

The five were carrying out research on Joinville Island off the north-eastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

All five are in good health after being airlifted by helicopter onto the Argentine icebreaker Almirante Irízar.

Rescuing the team and 400kg (880lb) of equipment took two-and-a-half hours.

Image copyright Twitter/@CancilleriaARG

Image copyright Twitter/@CancilleriaARG Image caption The scientists and their equipment were taken by helicopter to the icebreaker

The US Antarctic Programme had requested help from the Argentine navy after its research vessel Laurence M Gould encountered thick sea-ice 13km (8 miles) off Joinville Island.

The ARA Almirante Irízar was at Carlini Base, a research station on King George Island, when it received the request, the Argentine Foreign Ministry said.

It then made its way to Joinville through "ice of considerable thickness".

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The Argentine navy published a video of the helicopter rescue on its Twitter account.

Argentine officials said that the US team would be transferred to the Laurence M Gould as soon as weather conditions allowed.</s>The Argentine Navy icebreaker and its helicopter picked up a U.S. scientific team stranded on an island in Antarctica, after thick sea ice thwarted rendezvous with the National Science Foundation’s contract ice vessel.

The 398’x83’x31’ icebreaker Almirante Irizar was at Argentina’s base on King George Island, when a request for help came from the NSF Antarctic Program, according to Argentine officials.

The team of four U.S. scientists and an employee of Colorado-based support contractor ASC, led by coastal geologist Alexander Simms of the University of California at Santa Barbara, was on icebound Joinville Island, about 100 miles distant, according to U.S. officials. The U.S. Antarctic Program’s 230’x56’x19.4’ research vessel Laurence M. Gould, which operates under a long-term contract with Edison Chouest Offshore, was unable to penetrate thick sea ice around the island.

In a two-and-a-half hour operation Sunday, the Almirante Irizar’s helicopter crew retrieved the science party, who later transferred over to the Laurence M. Gould for its return to its usual port of operations at Punta Arenas, Chile.

Argentina’s assist came just days after the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard jointly issued a long-awaited request for proposal to build the first new U.S. heavy icebreaker since the single operational one, the 399’x83’x31’ Polar Star, was built more than 40 years ago.

The Almirante Irizar is of a similar class, built in Finland in the 1970s. It completed a prolonged refit and ice trials in 2017 to return to Antarctic service.</s>Argentine icebreaker rescues US scientists stranded in an ice island

A group of US scientists who were stranded in an ice-bound island off the northeastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula were rescued on Sunday by an Argentine icebreaker, US and Argentine authorities announced Monday.

The four scientists and a support staff member, who were conducting research at Joinville Island, were airlifted by helicopter to the Almirante Irizar icebreaker.

Argentina’s Foreign Ministry said that the US icebreaker Laurence M. Gould was unable to carry out the evacuation because the ice barrier was too dense on the Weddell Sea in front of the island that is south of the Argentine mainland. The US Antarctic Program then requested assistance from Argentina.

Argentina’s Armed Forces said that the five are in good health and will be transferred to the US vessel when weather conditions improve.

The US National Science Foundation’s Office of Polar Programs said the scientists are led by Alexander R. Simms, an associate professor of earth sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The support staff member is an employee of the NSF’s Colorado-based Antarctic support contractor.

“The US Antarctic Program expresses its gratitude to their Argentine colleagues for their willingness to help,” it said.</s>BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A group of American scientists who were stranded in an ice-bound island off the northeastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula were rescued Sunday by an Argentine icebreaker, U.S. and Argentine authorities said Monday.

The four scientists and a support staff member, who were conducting research at Joinville Island, were airlifted by helicopter to the Almirante Irizar icebreaker.

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Argentina's Foreign Ministry said that the U.S. icebreaker Laurence M. Gould was unable to carry out the evacuation because the ice barrier was too dense on the Weddell Sea in front of the island that is south of the Argentine mainland. The U.S. Antarctic Program then requested assistance from Argentina.

Argentina's armed forces said that the five are in good health and will be transferred to the U.S. vessel when weather conditions improve.

The U.S. National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs said the scientists are led by Alexander R. Simms, an associate professor of earth sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The support staff member is an employee of the NSF's Colorado-based Antarctic support contractor.

"The U.S. Antarctic Program expresses its gratitude to their Argentine colleagues for their willingness to help," it said.</s>This Sunday, March 11, 2018 photo distributed by Argentina's Navy shows stranded American scientists on Joinville Island in Antarctica, south of the Argentine mainland. An Argentine icebreaker has rescued the five American scientists who were stranded in the island off the northeast tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. (Argentina Navy via AP) A group of American scientists who were stranded in an ice-bound island off the northeastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula were rescued Sunday by an Argentine icebreaker, U.S. and Argentine authorities said Monday.

The four scientists and a support staff member, who were conducting research at Joinville Island, were airlifted by helicopter to the Almirante Irizar icebreaker.

Argentina's Foreign Ministry said that the U.S. icebreaker Laurence M. Gould was unable to carry out the evacuation because the ice barrier was too dense on the Weddell Sea in front of the island that is south of the Argentine mainland. The U.S. Antarctic Program then requested assistance from Argentina.

Argentina's armed forces said that the five are in good health and will be transferred to the U.S. vessel when weather conditions improve.

The U.S. National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs said the scientists are led by Alexander R. Simms, an associate professor of earth sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The support staff member is an employee of the NSF's Colorado-based Antarctic support contractor.

"The U.S. Antarctic Program expresses its gratitude to their Argentine colleagues for their willingness to help," it said.</s>The Argentine navy has rescued four US scientists and a contractor from an Antarctic camp after the US icebreaker due to pick them up could not reach them because of thick sea-ice.

The five were carrying out research on Joinville Island off the north-eastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

All five are in good health after being airlifted by helicopter onto the Argentine icebreaker Almirante Irízar.

Rescuing the team and 400kg (880lb) of equipment took two-and-a-half hours.

The US Antarctic Programme had requested help from the Argentine navy after its research vessel Laurence M Gould encountered thick sea-ice 13km (8 miles) off Joinville Island.

The ARA Almirante Irízar was at Carlini Base, a research station on King George Island, when it received the request, the Argentine Foreign Ministry said.

It then made its way to Joinville through "ice of considerable thickness".

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The Argentine navy published a video of the helicopter rescue on its Twitter account.

Argentine officials said that the US team would be transferred to the Laurence M Gould as soon as weather conditions allowed.</s>An Argentine icebreaker has rescued five American scientists who were stranded in an island off the northeast tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Argentina’s Foreign Ministry says the five scientists conducting research at Joinville Island were airlifted by helicopter Sunday to the Almirante Irizar icebreaker.

The ministry said that the U.S. icebreaker Laurence M. Gould was unable to carry out the evacuation because the ice barrier was too dense on the Weddell Sea and that the U.S. Antarctic Program then requested assistance from Argentina.

Argentina’s armed forces said in a statement that the scientists are in good health and that they will be transferred to the U.S. vessel when weather conditions improve.

The island is south of the Argentine mainland.</s>(ABC News) — A group of American scientists was rescued from an island off Antarctica’s coast after ice prevented a U.S. Antarctic Program research vessel from reaching them.

The four U.S. scientists and a support staff member conducting research on Antarctica’s Joinville Island were airlifted by helicopter Sunday from an icebreaker ship dispatched by Argentina, said the National Science Foundation, which funds and manages the Antarctic program.

The group is to be transferred Monday to the Laurence M. Gould research vessel, after which they will travel to Punta Arenas, Chile, on South America’s southern tip, Peter West, a spokesman for the foundation, told ABC News on Sunday.

Argentina sent the icebreaker ship after receiving a request for assistance on Friday, the country’s foreign ministry said Saturday. The Argentine ship has helicopters able to reach the group’s camp “regardless of the ice conditions,” the National Science Foundation, a U.S. government agency, said.

The research team was “in no immediate danger, having more than a week’s worth of supplies, a safe camp, and communications with the outside world,” the foundation said Saturday.</s>A group of U.S. scientists has had to be rescued by helicopter from Antarctica after being trapped by encroaching ice.

A group of American scientists was rescued from an island off Antarctica’s coast after ice prevented a U.S. Antarctic Program research vessel from reaching them.

The four U.S. scientists and a support staff member conducting research on Antarctica’s Joinville Island were airlifted by helicopter Sunday from an icebreaker ship dispatched by Argentina, said the National Science Foundation, which funds and manages the Antarctic program.

The research party, which was studying ancient climate, was led by Alex Simms of the University of California, Santa Barbara, according to the foundation. An employee of the foundation’s U.S.-based support contractor accompanied the group, the foundation said.– READ MORE</s>A group of U.S. scientists has had to be rescued by helicopter from Antarctica after being trapped by encroaching ice.

A group of American scientists was rescued from an island off Antarctica’s coast after ice prevented a U.S. Antarctic Program research vessel from reaching them. The four U.S. scientists and a support staff member conducting research on Antarctica’s Joinville Island were airlifted by helicopter Sunday from an icebreaker ship dispatched by Argentina, said the National Science Foundation, which funds and manages the Antarctic program.

You’ll, of course, never guess what the scientists were doing there.

The research party, which was studying ancient climate, was led by Alex Simms of the University of California, Santa Barbara, according to the foundation. An employee of the foundation’s U.S.-based support contractor accompanied the group, the foundation said.

Say what? Climate scientists researching global warming being caught out by unseasonal cold?

This is happening so often that it almost makes you wonder whether the climate is trying to tell us something…
The Argentine Navy rescues four United States Antarctic Program scientists and a contractor stranded on Joinville Island in Antarctica after their icebreaker RV Laurence M. Gould encountered thick sea-ice.