The most absurdly named scientific research vessel to ever exist — Boaty McBoatface — has just helped British scientists make a startling new discovery about climate change that will “cause climate scientists to reconfigure their projection models,” the AV Club reported.
The “boat,” a $300 million piece of research equipment, measured the temperature, salinity and currents of Antarctic waters and discovered that winds in the region that are gathering in speed and intensity are forcing the colder, bottom-of-the-ocean waters to mix with the warmer water found near the surface. This combination is forcing temperatures to rise, in turn contributing to ever-rising sea levels.
Because of the new finding, scientists studying climate change will now have to restructure the timelines they’ve drawn up that reflect how and when a warming Earth’s deterioration will affect us. In short, it’s sooner than we thought.
It’s a tragically comical situation that — as the AV Club points out — many publications won’t cover, with the ones that do likely focusing more on the disover-er more than the discover-y. “Boaty McBoatface” was the choice the public made when the Natural Environment Research Council of Britain allowed them to hold a naming contest for the vessel in 2016.
The predictably fun-averse Council overruled them, christening the boat the RRS Sir David Attenborough; “Boaty” was relegated to a lesser submarine on board that vessel.
Nevertheless, Boaty triumphed, claiming this week’s groundbreaking discovery as its own.
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