Disputes greenhouse gas emissions statement
I
n the December 2020 issue of WorkBoat, No. 4 of the Top Ten Stories of 2020, “Hurricane Season Batters Gulf,” contains the sentence, “The combination of warmer ocean waters — caused by absorption of excess heat created by greenhouse gas emissions — and seasonal weather patterns help fuel the storms.” While it is almost certainly true (because nothing is 100% certain in science) that warm ocean waters fuel hurricanes, and it thus follows that warmer waters fuel more, and more intense, hurricanes, the assertion that warmer ocean waters are caused by “greenhouse gas emissions” is, at best, highly controversial. At worst, it is an outright fabrication weakly supported primarily by computer models of highly dubious accuracy, one of the goals of which is to
eliminate the fossil fuel industry upon which much of the workboat industry is based. This line of thought, and the associated evidence for and against, could easily be developed into a book, if not an entire encyclopedia, dedicated to the closely related topics of climate change and political power. Suffice it to say here that highly controversial statements that can only serve to undermine an industry important to the workboat community should not be misrepresented as fact by a publication that exists to support that community. Rick Lutowski Naval Architect Georgetown, Texas
Reader enjoys columnist’s remarks
about Congress negotiating as small businesses suffer or die (“2020: Good riddance,” Captain’s Table, WorkBoat, December 2020). His column is still the first article I read when I get WorkBoat magazine each month. Keep up the great work and good luck! Capt. R.M. Silva Toms River, N.J.
WorkBoat encourages readers to write us about anything that appears in the magazine, on WorkBoat.com or pertains to the marine industry. To be published, letters must include the writer’s address and a daytime phone number. Email your letter to:
O
nce again Capt. Alan Bernstein hit the nail on the head in his remarks
workboat@cox.net
We take the heat, so you don’t have to. Cool. Because you need it. We deliver cool based on your reality. So no matter where you operate, hot days and heavy loads will never slow you down.
GRIDCOOLER® Keel Cooler
• One Piece Head Design maintains greater structural integrity. • Higher Silver Content Braze Joints resist fatigue and maintain the strength of surrounding material. • Better Penetration at Braze Joints places more braze material with less heat, making joints stronger.
WEKA Boxcooler®
• Over 20 Years of Experience with Copper Nickel Boxcoolers offering longer product life cycle than standard coated tube units.
• Tranter Superchanger plate and frame heat exchanger provides a range of options in pattern, size and material for a wide variety of applications.
• Manufactured in the USA and The Netherlands: provides the greatest product availability.
• Tranter Platecoil provides an efficient and cost effective alternative to traditional pipe coil heating for bulk cargo, ballast and other applications.
• Weka Guard and Protector eliminate the need for bulky and costly copper sacrificial anodes.
fernstrum.com | 1.906.863.5553 | sales@fernstrum.com | ISO 9001:2015
6
Tranter® Heat Exchangers
© 2021 R.W. Fernstrum & Company. All rights reserved. FERNSTRUM® and GRIDCOOLER® are registered trademarks of R.W. Fernstrum & Company. All other trademarks cited are the property of their respective owners.
www.workboat.com • FEBRUARY 2021 • WorkBoat
