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The Journal
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Journal
A Dundalk woman is heading to the Arctic Circle to retrace the steps of Ireland's forgotten explorer
A SCIENCE COMMUNICATOR from Co Louth will tomorrow head off on an expedition to the Arctic Circle to retrace the steps of one of Ireland's overlooked explorers. Dr Niamh Shaw plans to retrace the steps of and research Dundalk man Leopold McClintock. McClintock, also known as Ireland's 'Arctic Fox', was born in Dundalk in 1819. He achieved fame as an Arctic explorer who discovered the fate of the failed 1845 expedition to the North American Arctic led by Sir John Franklin. McClintock's expedition discovered the only written record left behind by Franklin's team and was hailed as having solved the mystery of what had become of the veteran explorer. Despite this, he remains relatively unknown in comparison to other Irish explorers, such as Ernest Shackleton. Leopold McClintock, 1819 - 1907 Alamy Alamy Dr Niamh Shaw is to bring his story to life after her retracing of his journey in the Arctic Circle. In partnership with Louth County Council's Environment Office, Shaw will use her research and discoveries while on the expedition to develop an interactive walk in Louth to commemorate McClintock and his explorative achievements. The 16 day expedition kicks off on 7 July. Shaw, who has previously worked as an actor, a writer, an engineer and a performer, told The Journal that she has always had an interest in exploration and explorers. In school, she said, 'the only part of history that I loved was when we did the explorers: Vasco de Game, Pizarro – and the Antarctic was fascinating to me. Ernest Shackleton was kind of a science communicator who made the Antarctic really accessible, and he brought back stories. Advertisement 'I really got into it again around the 2000s and I just picked up loads of books about it. And I found this book about Leopold McClintock, started reading it, and realised he was from Dundalk, my hometown.' In the last five years in Dundalk there's been an art revival, Shaw said, leading to the commissioning and the painting of a mural of McClintock beside the town hall. In 2022, she applied to join the residency programme that sends a number of artists and communicators to the Arctic Circle each year, and in 2023 got a place, although she was unable to attend due to being in the Antarctic at that time. This year, however, she's looking forward to making the journey and bringing back her findings. Shaw is bringing with her a collection of postcards from locals which will be stamped in Svalbard Archipelago and brought back to Louth with her. She hopes to have the postcards serve as a 'passport' of sorts that tracks her future travels and allows this supporting her at home to feel involved in her journeys. The 'Forgotten Women' quilt. She will also be honouring Irish women of science whose stories have been forgotten by bringing the 'Forgotten Women' Quilt with her. The quilt has 12 panels commemorating Irish women in science. A Dundalk flag designed by the media department at Dundalk IT will also join her in the Arctic Circle. 'I'm going to be taking video footage and finding old footage from 100 years ago to show the difference in the size of glaciers, to show how much melt there has been up there,' Shaw said. As part of the interactive walk that will be set up by mid-October on her return, there will be a focus on the landmarks that relate to McClintock, 'but also some of the lovely nature parts'. QR codes set up along the walk will enable visitors to view some of Shaw's footage from the Arctic and other findings. Of McClintock, Shaw said that she hopes her work will draw more attention to his life and achievements. 'Everyone knows about [Ernest] Shackleton,' she said, 'but [McClintock] is largely unknown in Ireland. So I felt, 'Well, this guy's story needs to be told'. 'There's a mini exhibition about him in Dundalk County Museum, but I kind of wanted to make him more nationally known.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Axios
15-02-2025
- Climate
- Axios
Polar vortex-tied cold snap to grip the U.S. next week
A weeklong, polar vortex-related Arctic outbreak rivaling any seen so far this winter is slated to bring frigid conditions to much of the U.S. east of the Rockies next week. Threat level: The Arctic air is likely to send temperatures plunging to at least 30 degrees below average for mid-February across the Midwest and Plains states, with the cold moderating some as it barrels east through late week. The National Weather Service is zeroing in on two "surges" of cold, one on Sunday and another Wednesday into Thursday for the Plains states. Computer models have been trending colder with this event over time, putting some record minimum temperatures and record low daily highs within reach. The East will also get significantly colder than average starting early in the week, the NWS stated in a forecast discussion. The big picture: Experts told Axios that the cold outbreak is tied to the tropospheric polar vortex, the polar vortex in the stratosphere and other major weather players spanning from the tropical Pacific Ocean to Alaska, all the way to Greenland. This event is likely to be colder than the earlier polar vortex cold snaps so far this winter, according to University of Oklahoma meteorologist Jason Furtado. The cold will occur at the same time as the Arctic sees unusually mild conditions and a ridge of high pressure and milder-than-average air takes over in Alaska, according to Judah Cohen, a meteorologist at Atmospheric & Environmental Research. At the same time, the upper-level polar vortex will dip south, near the U.S.-Canada border. Zoom out: The vortex is an area of low pressure that is a typical feature of the Northern Hemisphere's winter season, with winds swirling around it counterclockwise. It tends to keep the coldest air bottled up over the Far North. Yes, but: In this case, multiple factors stand ready to allow Arctic air to pour across the U.S.-Canada border, including a stretched polar vortex, a so-called "blocking pattern" over Greenland and "a spike in Arctic temperatures," Cohen writes. These ingredients increase the odds of severe winter weather in the U.S., Europe and Asia, he said. Furtado said the blocking pattern is more expansive, existing across the North American Arctic region, directing colder air southward. According to him, conditions in the tropical Pacific also are helping to reinforce the arrangement of weather systems across North America now. Context: Studies suggest human-caused climate change may be making polar vortex shifts more likely, but this is an area of active research. It also does not quite match up with the multifaceted event about to take shape. Cohen has published research tying rapid, human-induced Arctic warming to a chain of events, including disappearing fall sea ice in the Barents and Kara seas and increased snowfall in Siberia. Friction point: This area of climate science is hotly contested, though it is generally agreed that rapid Arctic warming is having an effect on the region's winters that can alter weather thousands of miles away.
