Over 15,000 baby sea lions estimated dead as Pacific sea life dies off

NaturalNews

Monday, December 14, 2015 by: L.J. Devon, Staff Writer






(NaturalNews) The Marine Mammal Center rescued over a hundred sea lions in a 10-day period off the West Coast of California in the winter of 2015. The influx of stranded sea lions is a sign that the health of the ocean is deteriorating. From January 1 to February 12, 2015, National Geographic counted nearly 500 rescued sea lions, an amount that is alarming scientists. Something has gone awry in the West Coast waters.

The sea lions are not finding food, they are losing strength, and many are starting to wash ashore. The startling trend didn't start in 2015. The number of stranded sea lions began rising in the winter of 2013, when scientists started noticing waves of sea lion pups washing ashore. Scientists believe the ocean's temperatures have shifted. Warmer currents may be affecting food sources that the sea lions depend on. Others see problems in ocean water acidity. The animals are being forced to go on longer quests to find food. Many of the pups are being left behind, stranded, while their parents search for food.

One-third of sea lions born last summer wiped out

 

The death of this sentinel species is an indication of changes in ocean climate and ecosystem. Sea lion prey, which include sardines and crayfish, are reportedly disappearing in numbers as well, forcing the starving sea lions to go on longer quests in search of food. Scientists are concerned about ocean pH and rising acidity of the waters. According to San Jose Mercury News, marine biologists warn that, if the trend continues, an entire generation of California sea lions could be wiped out.
When speaking to NBC News, Sea World San Diego senior veterinarian Hendrick Nollens reported, "We had rescued 19 California sea lions in January [2013]. This year we already rescued 87 pups in that same month. So this event seems to be much larger."

According to the Daily Breeze, the "unusual mortality event" wiped out two-thirds of the sea lion pup population off the West Coast in 2013.

Rehabilitation centers are taking several hundred pups in this year to save the species from total extinction.

NOAA wildlife biologist Sharon Melin confirmed that most pups captured in the wild in 2013 were only half their weight. After they are released back into the wild, they are expected to maintain their weight. When Melin went on a research trip in September 2013, she reported that the weight of the pups was still low. She brought back the bad news: "We've told the centers to prepare for the worst."
The U-T San Diego concurred, reporting that pups in the Channel Island rookeries continued to struggle despite rehabilitation efforts. On average, pups were 19% below their average weight, even after rehabilitation.

Jim Milbury of NOAA Fisheries says that West Coast sea lions have a birth rate of about 50,000 a year, and San Diego 6 reported on Jan. 28, 2015, that nearly 1 of 3 pups born the previous summer have already died.

If 33% of pups born in 2014 have already died, then based on the average birth rate, over 15,000 have passed away in that short time frame. 

Ocean water acidity on the rise, subjecting aquatic life to disease

 

According to Jennifer Palma of Global News, ocean health is deteriorating, indicated by a die off of scallops and oysters. "Getting pacific oysters and scallops is next to impossible; the industry is in crisis. ... So what's killing the Pacific oysters and scallops? A possible combination of factors including warmer oceans, decreasing acidity levels and potentially disease," she said in a report.
University of British Columbia marine microbiology professor Curtis Suttle is concerned about changes in the pH of ocean waters. "The hypothesis -- there's a working hypothesis --w is that these changes, these excursions in pH, are making the shellfish vulnerable to infection by diseases that they would normally be resistant to."


Sources for this article include:


http://enenews.com
http://enenews.com
http://enenews.com
http://www.dailybreeze.com

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Radiation from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan has been detected at an increased number of sites off U.S. shores, including the highest level in the area detected to date, scientists announced Thursday.

Published on

Friday, December 04, 2015

 

by

Common Dreams

'Fukushima Fingerprint': Highest-Yet Radiation Levels Found Off US Coast

'The changing values underscore the need to more closely monitor contamination levels across the Pacific.'

by

Nadia Prupis, staff writer

 

 

 

Scientists test seawater samples off the coast of Japan near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. (Photo: IAEA Imagebank/flickr/cc)

Radiation from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan has been detected at an increased number of sites off U.S. shores, including the highest level in the area detected to date, scientists announced Thursday.

While the levels are still too low to be considered a threat to human or marine life by the government's standards, tests of hundreds of samples of Pacific Ocean water reveal that the Fukushima Daiichi plant has continued to leak radioactive isotopes more than four years after the meltdown—and must not be dismissed, according to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) marine radiochemist Ken Buesseler.

"Despite the fact that the levels of contamination off our shores remain well below government-established safety limits for human health or to marine life, the changing values underscore the need to more closely monitor contamination levels across the Pacific," Buesseler said Thursday. "[F]inding values that are still elevated off Fukushima confirms that there is continued release from the plant."
Scientists from the WHOI and Buesseler's citizen-science project Our Radioactive Ocean discovered trace amounts of cesium-134, the "fingerprint" of Fukushima, in 110 new Pacific samples off U.S. shores in 2015 alone.

The isotope is unique to Fukushima and has a relatively short two-year half life, which means "the only source of this cesium-134 in the Pacific today is from Fukushima," Buesseler said.


Map shows the location of seawater samples taken by scientists and citizen scientists that were analyzed at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for radioactive cesium as part of Our Radioactive Ocean. Cesium-137 is found throughout the Pacific Ocean and was detectable in all samples collected, while cesium-134 (yellow/orange dots), an indicator of contamination from Fukushima, has been observed offshore and in select coastal areas. (Figure by Jessica Drysdale, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

One sample collected roughly 1,600 miles west of San Francisco revealed the highest radiation level detected to date off the West Coast, the researchers said in a post on the project's website. "[In] one cubic meter of seawater (about 264 gallons), 11 radioactive decay events per second can be attributed to cesium atoms of both isotopes. That is 50 percent higher than we've seen before."

"[T]hese long-lived radioisotopes will serve as markers for years to come for scientists studying ocean currents and mixing in coastal and offshore waters," Buesseler continued.

The 2011 accident, prompted by an earthquake and tsunami off Japan's east coast, was the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986 and resulted in the near-total meltdown of three nuclear reactors at the Fukushima plant and a mass evacuation of the prefecture. Despite ongoing warnings about long-term health and environmental impacts and widespread opposition to nuclear power in the wake of the meltdown, Japan in August restarted a reactor at the Sendai power plant, about 620 miles southwest of Tokyo.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License

'Taningia Danae' or 'whiplash squid' rarely seen alive caught on video footage.

 

Hawaii marine biologists celebrate extremely rare footage of the giant Whiplash squid as it glides through the darkest depths of the Pacific

• The majestic squid is called 'Taningia Danae' or 'whiplash squid' 
• Experts say that the whiplash squid has rarely been seen alive 
• The squid can travel between two and two-and-a-half miles per hour 
• It attached itself onto a remotely operated underwater vehicle
• Scientists will study the footage to learn more about the squid

By Belinda Robinson For Dailymail.com

Published: 17:11 EST, 6 December 2015 | Updated: 21:10 EST, 6 December 2015

 

This is the magical moment that National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists captured footage of a rare deep sea squid.

The majestic sea creature, which is around one to two meters long, is called 'Taningia Danae' or 'whiplash squid.'

As it descended to the sea floor of the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii on September 19, 2015 a remotely operated underwater vehicle caught it on camera.

 

 

This is the magical moment that NOAA scientists captured footage of a rare deep sea squid

Read More Here

National Science Foundation : Viruses wage war on deep-sea bacteria to essentially feed and propagate

 

Undersea warfare: Viruses hijack deep-sea bacteria at hydrothermal vents

Date:

May 1, 2014

Source:

National Science Foundation

Summary:

More than a mile beneath the ocean's surface, as dark clouds of mineral-rich water billow from seafloor hot springs called hydrothermal vents, unseen armies of viruses and bacteria wage war.

.....

Credit: NOAA
[Click to enlarge image]

More than a mile beneath the ocean's surface, as dark clouds of mineral-rich water billow from seafloor hot springs called hydrothermal vents, unseen armies of viruses and bacteria wage war.

Like pirates boarding a treasure-laden ship, the viruses infect bacterial cells to get the loot: tiny globules of elemental sulfur stored inside the bacterial cells.
Instead of absconding with their prize, the viruses force the bacteria to burn their valuable sulfur reserves, then use the unleashed energy to replicate.
"Our findings suggest that viruses in the dark oceans indirectly access vast energy sources in the form of elemental sulfur," said University of Michigan marine microbiologist and oceanographer Gregory Dick, whose team collected DNA from deep-sea microbes in seawater samples from hydrothermal vents in the Western Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California.
"We suspect that these viruses are essentially hijacking bacterial cells and getting them to consume elemental sulfur so the viruses can propagate themselves," said Karthik Anantharaman of the University of Michigan, first author of a paper on the findings published this week in the journal Science Express.
Similar microbial interactions have been observed in shallow ocean waters between photosynthetic bacteria and the viruses that prey upon them.
But this is the first time such a relationship has been seen in a chemosynthetic system, one in which the microbes rely solely on inorganic compounds, rather than sunlight, as their energy source.
"Viruses play a cardinal role in biogeochemical processes in ocean shallows," said David Garrison, a program director in the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research. "They may have similar importance in deep-sea thermal vent environments."

Read More Here

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Japan to redesign Antarctic whale hunt after UN court ruling

by Staff Writers

Tokyo (AFP) April 18, 2014

Japan said Friday it would redesign its controversial Antarctic whaling mission in a bid to make it more scientific, after a United Nations court ruled it was a commercial hunt masquerading as research.
The bullish response, which could see harpoon ships back in the Southern Ocean next year, sets Tokyo back on a collision course with environmentalists.
Campaigners had hailed the decision by the International Court of Justice, with hopes that it might herald the end of a practice they view as barbaric.
"We will carry out extensive studies in cooperation with ministries concerned to submit a new research programme by this autumn to the International Whaling Commission (IWC), reflecting the criteria laid out in the verdict," said Yoshimasa Hayashi, minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
Japan, a member of the IWC, has hunted whales under a loophole allowing for lethal research. It has always maintained that it was intending to prove the whale population was large enough to sustain commercial hunting.
But it never hid the fact that the by-product of whale meat made its way onto menus.
"The verdict confirmed that the (IWC moratorium) is partly aimed at sustainable use of whale resources.
"Following this, our country will firmly maintain its basic policy of conducting whaling for research, on the basis of international law and scientific foundations, to collect scientific data necessary for the regulation of whale resources, and aim for resumption of commercial whaling."
Hayashi, who had met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe earlier in the day, confirmed a previous announcement that the 2014-15 hunt in the Southern Ocean would not go ahead.
Last month's court ruling does not apply to Japan's two other whaling programmes: a "research" hunt in coastal waters and in the northwestern Pacific, and a much smaller programme that operates along the coast, which is not subject to the international ban.

Read More Here

.....

SBS News

Japanese officials dine on whale in protest against court ruling

• 

  (AP)

   

Hundreds of Japanese officials and pro-whaling lobbyists have eaten whale in defiance of a international court ruling that ordered the country to stop its Antarctic whaling program.

By

SBS with AAP

UPDATED 2:05 PM - 16 Apr 2014

The 26th whale meat tasting event in Tokyo was hosted near the nation's parliament and was attended by lawmakers, officials and pro-whaling lobbyists.
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told attendees that the country must protect its whale-eating culture.
"[Japan] has a policy of harvesting and sustainably using the protein source from the ocean, and that is unshakable," Associated Press quoted Mr Hayashi as saying.
Meanwhile, a lower house MP criticised the arguments against whaling as emotional and not based on reason.
"Japan’s whaling is based on scientific reasons, while counterarguments by anti-whaling groups are emotional, saying they are against the hunts because whales are cute or smart," the Japan Times reported Shunichi Suzuki of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as saying.

Read More Here

.....

Japan 'will continue whaling in Pacific'

Updated: 15:21, Friday April 18, 2014

Japan has decided to continue its whaling program in the Pacific Ocean, reports say, despite losing a United Nations court case on its other "research" hunt in the Antarctic.
If confirmed, the move will likely spark anger among environmentalists who hailed a ruling in March by the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Tokyo's hunt in the Southern Ocean was a commercial activity disguised as science.
Japan has exploited a loophole in a 1986 moratorium that allowed it to conduct lethal research on the mammals, but has openly admitted their meat makes its way onto dinner tables.
Campaigners urged Tokyo to follow the spirit of the ruling, and not just its letter, which specifically referred to Japan's hunt in the Antarctic, not its other research scheme in the northwest Pacific or its smaller coastal program.
But after the ICJ verdict, a government review has said the Pacific hunt should press ahead, public broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News Agency reported on Friday.
The review suggests the Pacific mission should reduce its catch and focus more on carrying out research that does not involve catching whales.
A spokesman for the fisheries agency said he was unable to comment.

Read More Here
.....

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• National › Japan cancels next Antarctic whaling hunt after ICJ ruling
• Japanese officials dine on whale in protest against court ruling
• Japan told to halt Antarctic whaling by international court
• Japan delays whale hunt to after Obama visit
• Japan 'will continue whaling in Pacific'

Radchick: Fukushima triggers jump in airline pilot/passenger heart attacks, cancers, rad symptoms

Alfred Lambremont Webre


 

Published on Feb 21, 2014

FAQ: Effect of Fukushima radiation on flying in commercial airliners
http://bit.ly/1bK8dld
Radchick: Fukushima triggers unprecedented increase in airline pilot & passenger heart attacks, cancers, radiation illness symptoms
http://exopolitics.blogs.com/peaceins...

.....

EcologyNews.com

1. RADIATION IN FLIGHT
Radchick: During normal solar activity, radiation levels at 10-11 kilometers cruise altitude are about 2-3 uSv/h, which is 20 to 30 times the radiation you're exposed to on the ground (prior to Fukushima). Thus, you get about the same dose as from 1-2 chest x-rays if you fly for 11 hours (but distributed to all of your body - not just the chest, of course).
Waters M, Bloom TF, Grajewski B. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health/Federal Aviation Administration (NIOSH/FAA) working women's health study: Evaluation of the cosmic-radiation exposures of flight attendants. Health Phys 79(5): 553–559; 2000. <------Notice year of study
Radiation dose levels represent a complex function of duration of flight, latitude, and altitude.
 Based on data collected for this study, radiation dose levels that would be experienced by a flight crew are well below current occupational limits recommended by the ICRP and the FAA of 20,000 uSv y-1.
The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) recommends a monthly equivalent dose limit of 500 uSv. The ICRP recommends the radiation limit during pregnancy be 1000 uSv.
Only flight crews flying both a large number of hours during pregnancy (for example, 100 hours in a month) and strictly the highest dose-rate routes (typically global routes such as United States to Buenos Aires or United States to Tokyo) would exceed the NCRP monthly guideline.
http://www.hps.org/publicinformation/ate/faqs/commercialflights.html
2. RADCHICK: MY PERSONAL RADIATION IN FLIGHT EXPERIENCE
Radchick: On my flight to Cancun, we were exposed to 900-1400 cpms for 2 hours. While ascending and landing rad levels dropped considerably, it was at the cloudline before they resume 'normal' ranges of 200 cpms. The majority of the journey, from Charlotte to Cancun leg was 4 hours long. Using the uSv to cpm conversion (which is being highly debated right now in radiation measurement circles) our total exposure on just one leg of our journey was approximately  (of course this is dependent on the model of Geiger and type of radiation -- In my case I was using an Inspector reading cpm and a Soeks uSv) 108,000 counts in just 2 hours. Overall a 4 hr. flight was approximately 200,000 total counts over 4 hrs. or 50,000 counts per hour 833 cpm rough average. And that is using the lower range to estimate of 900. Assuming a conversion factor of 100 cpm per uSv, my exposure was approximately 8.33 uSv.
Just this flight would expose an airline worker to 1/10 of their yearly exposure limits. ASSUMING as all flights encounter this level of rads within 10 4-hour flights a person would reach guidelines for airline industry workers of 20 uSv/year. That's only 40 hours of flying!! Flight attendants fly an average of 80 hours a month. Pilots 75-85 hrs. per month. Within 2 weeks they would have reached their exposure guidelines. NO WONDER the pilots are dropping dead. I would also like to remind you I went into kidney failure within hours of landing, and my 28 y/o daughter was hospitalized for kidney failure 2 weeks after we returned from our trip. A number of students on the trip as well suffered from skin problems, swollen eyes and other ailments during and after. I also observed that 2 out of 4 stewardesses on this particular flight had some major skin problems, possibly eczema? on their face. It was severe enough that I was surprised they were working/not on sick leave.
FYI: Comparisons with X-rays and CT scans “meaningless” — Inhaling particles increases radiation exposure by “a factor of a trillion” says expert
http://enenews.com/comparisons-with-x-rays-and-ct-scans-meaningless-inhaling-particles-increases-radiation-exposure-by-a-factor-of-a-trillion-says-expert

3. OTHER INFLIGHT READINGS (3)
A. Connie Fogal, Former Vancouver, BC Parks Board Commissioner:
Date of flight: 1/11/2014  Average Alt. 35,000 feet Air Canada
Vancouver, BC (YVR) –Heathrow UK  (LHR)
Average Geiger counter reading 2.45 uSv/hour

Date of flight: 1/19/2014  Average Alt. 35,000 feet Air Canada
Heathrow UK  (LHR) - Vancouver, BC (YVR)
Average Geiger counter reading range:
2.89 - 3.60 uSv/hr.
B. Tom Clearwater, Lawyer, Vancouver, BC:
Readings On Flight From Vancouver, BC To Hong Kong
Date/Vancouver time/altitude in feet/reading in micro Sieverts per hour uSv [locational data]
16/11/Vancouver (home) 0.06 uSv
16/13/airport (departure) 0.04-0.08
16/13:30/plane (ground) 0.04-0.06
16/14:00/13k 0.25-0.32
16/14:08/26k 1.02-1.18
16/14:15/30k 1.71-1.80
16/14:30/30k 1.63-1.86
16/15:30/32k 1.70-2.09 (held above my fish dinner)
16/16:30/32k 1.84-2.06
16/17:30/32k 2.10-2.20 [W of Alaska] uSv
16/19:11/32k 1.53-1.91 [E of Kamchatka]
16/19:50/32k 1.76-1.95 [S of Kamchatka]
16/21:45/32k/1.31-1.53 [just SE of Sapporo Japan]
16/22:00/32k/1.42-1.53 [NE of Sendai
16/22:15/32k/1.20-1.46 [just NE of Sendai]
16/22:30/32k/1.27-1.46 [just N of Sendai, over land]
16/22:45/32k/0.98-1.30 [just S of Niigata]
17/1:11/32k/1.35-1.53 [E of Shanghai]
17/2:45/28k/1.02-1.07 [descent for Hong Kong]
17/3:00/11k/0.12-0.15
17/3:25/ground/0.19-0.23 uSv
We flew almost directly over Fukushima.

On Flight From Hong Kong To Johannesburg
I also checked rad levels on our flight from Hong Kong (HK) to Johannesburg. Flying time was night until we reached J. Levels were consistently 50% of those on our day flight to Hong Kong, so 0.1 uSv thereabouts until the sun started rising, then levels equaled to-HK levels. I interpret this data to suggest that sun exposure was the main determining factor apart from altitude. Under this interpretation, there is no or negligible Fukushima rad in the air.
Also notice that to HK levels slowly dropped as sun exposure faded.

C. Chile to Portland, OR Flight (Reported by Rense.com) http://bit.ly/1faGQkQ
Date of Flight: July 1, 2013
Chile, South America – Portland, OR (USA)
Geiger counter readings (CPM)
Chile 366 CPM
Equator 614 CPM
Oregon 1208 CPM
1208 CPM is about the same as 20Bq.
NOTE: Assuming a conversion factor of 100 cpm per uSv, the exposure level over Oregon was approximately 12.08 uSv.
PILOT'S BLOG - MAPPING RADIATION LEVELS
Radchick: From a pilot's blog who is mapping rad levels, excellent info:
"So, finally, with all the flying I’ve done lately, I’d like to say that I’m getting a very firm grasp on where the radiation is and what you can do about it.  What I’ve discovered, to date, can be summarized like this:
Aircrew get more radiation than nuclear power plant workers.
Aircrew are classified as radiological workers by the NCRP (National Center for Radiation Protection)
On average, north of 35 degrees north-latitude, radiation increases rapidly above about 35,000′.  Pilots who do not need to go higher than that, operationally, might as well stay at a lower altitude if they want to avoid high radiation levels.
Altitude has little affect on the radiation level when flying at latitudes south of about 30 degrees north.  I’ve seen almost zero variation between 35,000′ and 45,000′ when flying from 30 degrees all the way down to the equator.
Flying over the North pole is the most hazardous of all.  Radiation levels will normally be 12-18 micro-Seiverts per hour, at 40,000′.  From 31,000′ upwards, the radiation level will double about every 6500′.  Pilots need to check on solar flare activity because, sometimes, levels can exceed 100 uSv/hr.
An affordable dosimeter, that accurately measures all of the different types of radiation at flight altitude, does not seem to be readily available.  There is 3x more up there than just Gamma.  I think the other main components are radioactive electrons, protons and X-Rays.
 "Currently, the best prediction center, I’ve found, for flight radiation, is the NAIRAS website.
"Above excerpt from: http://jetradjamesblog.wordpress.com/

Read More Here

.....

Related articles

• Radchick: Fukushima triggers jump in airline pilot/passenger heart attacks, cancers, rad symptoms

Leading Scientist On Fukushima Radiation Hitting West Coast of North America: “No One Is Measuring So Therefore We Should Be Alarmed”

Washington's Blog

Posted on January 26, 2014 by WashingtonsBlog

Federal, State and Local Governments Refuse to Test for Radiation on the West Coast of North America

Numerous models show that – while the ocean dilutes radiation – pockets and streams of concentrated radiation may still hit the West Coast of North America.
West Coast residents are very concerned.  Indeed, many local and state government officials have said that residents are inundating them with questions about Fukushima radiation.
And yet the government isn’t measuring seawater or fish on the West Coast for radiation.
Ken Buessler is the head scientist at Woods Hole in Massachusetts,  one of the world’s top ocean science institutions.  Much of Buessler’s career has focused on measuring radioactive particles in the ocean, and he’s been studying groundwater and ocean samples in and around Fukushima since the accident in March of 2011.
Buessler has consistently tried to downplay the risks from Fukushima, and yet even he admits that we won’t know unless we test.  Buessler noted this week:

The predictions are rather low and are not of direct concern, but no one makes measurements of these isotopes along the [West] coast .
***
No one is measuring so therefore we should be alarmed. I really try to take the approach that we shouldn’t trivialize the risks of radiation and shouldn’t be overly alarmed.

Buessler said last week:

What we don’t really know is how fast and how much is being transported across the Pacific. Yes, models tell us it will be safe, yes the levels we expect off the US West Coast and Canada we expect to be low, but we need measurements — especially now, as the plume begins to arrive along the West Coast and will actually increase in concentration over the next 1 to 2 years. Despite public concern about the levels, no public agency in the US is monitoring the activities in the Pacific.
***
Without careful, extensive, consistent monitoring, we’ll have no way of knowing how much radiation from Fukushima is reaching our shores, and how it could affect life in the ocean.

And:

Buesseler says no US government agency currently tests radiation levels in the Pacific Ocean.“I don’t expect the radiation levels to be high but we can’t dismiss the concerns that the public has.”
“The effects of Fukushima will be increasing as the front edge of a large water plume coming from the nuclear plant will reach California soon and increase over the years,” said Buesseler.
Buesseler recently took his concerns to Washington where he met with US government officials at the various agencies responsible for monitoring radiation levels in air, food, and water.
He said he visited officials at the Department of Energy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
“They all said that it’s not their responsibility to test the Pacific Ocean for radiation. This issue is falling between the cracks of government responsibility. It’s a health and safety issue here,” Buesseler said.

And Buesseler points out the circular reasoning which the government is using (at 10:00):

I completely agree that no radiation has been seen in the regards that we’re not really testing for it [laughter] in any organized way … We have very few data; it’s not really being organized. The government says we don’t really need to do that because we’re predicting very low levels.

This type of circular reasoning is – unfortunately – common these days. For example, when bad policy led to the 2008 financial crisis, the Gulf Oil spill, factory-farming caused disease, runaway pesticide use, and other problems, the government simply stopped testing or changed allowable levels.
U.C. Berkeley professor of nuclear engineering Eric Norman raises a similar point:

There is no systematic testing in the US of air, food, and water for radiation, continuous testing is needed”
***
“I’m not terribly confident in the information Japan is sharing about the plant’s activities and clean up. That’s why it’s even more important now to advocate for continuous testing of air, food, and ocean water for radiation.”

University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher Doug Dasher notes:
There’s a lot of unknowns, a lot of uncertainties. There are others that also have the same message that they want to get out, we really need to sample to understand this and we really need to look at what’s happening out there in the ecosystem at the same time. There’s an opportunity to do this. It’s a huge amount of initial release, and the models do not address the continuing release [the models all assume that Fukushima was totally contained by about June 2011 ... in fact, it has leaked continuously hundreds of tons of radioactive water every day for more than 2/12 years]. Fukushima has continued to leak ….
***

Read More Here

Related articles

• Leading Scientist On Fukushima Radiation Hitting West Coast of North America: "No One Is Measuring So Therefore We Should Be Alarmed"
• US Residents Monitor Fukushima Radiation
• Ocean Radioactivity from Fukushima Leak to be Tracked
• Expert: "Can't be changed & can't be stopped"; Radioactive Fukushima water will continually enter ocean - Significant 'discreet leaks' recently - West Coast "should be alarmed" at lack of testing - Levels rising for 2 years & expected to increase
• Fukushima radiation more than 10 times the normal level is detected on California beaches

The billboard that produces potable water out of air

LocoTV Dos


   

Published on Mar 7, 2013

Finally, a Billboard That Creates Drinkable Water Out of Thin Air

I've never cared much for billboards. Not in the city, not out of the city — not anywhere, really. It's like the saying in that old Five Man Electrical Band song. So when the creative director of an ad agency in Peru sent me a picture of what he claimed was the first billboard that produces potable water from air, my initial reaction was: gotta be a hoax, or at best, a gimmick.

Except it's neither: The billboard pictured here is real, it's located in Lima, Peru, and it produces around 100 liters of water a day (about 26 gallons) from nothing more than humidity, a basic filtration system and a little gravitational ingenuity.

Let's talk about Lima for a moment, the largest city in Peru and the fifth largest in all of the Americas, with some 7.6 million people (closer to 9 million when you factor in the surrounding metro area). Because it sits along the southern Pacific Ocean, the humidity in the city averages 83% (it's actually closer to 100% in the mornings). But Lima is also part of what's called a coastal desert: It lies at the northern edge of the Atacama, the driest desert in the world, meaning the city sees perhaps half an inch of precipitation annually (Lima is the second largest desert city in the world after Cairo). Lima thus depends on drainage from the Andes as well as runoff from glacier melt — both sources on the decline because of climate change.

Enter the University of Engineering and Technology of Peru (UTEC), which was looking for something splashy to kick off its application period for 2013 enrollment. It turned to ad agency Mayo DraftFCB, which struck on the idea of a billboard that would convert Lima's H2O-saturated air into potable water. And then they actually built one.

It's not entirely self-sufficient, requiring electricity (it's not clear how much) to power the five devices that comprise the billboard's inverse osmosis filtration system, each device responsible for generating up to 20 liters. The water is then transported through small ducts to a central holding tank at the billboard's base, where you'll find — what else? — a water faucet. According to Mayo DraftFCB, the billboard has already produced 9,450 liters of water (about 2,500 gallons) in just three months, which it says equals the water consumption of "hundreds of families per month." Just imagine what dozens, hundreds or even thousands of these things, strategically placed in the city itself or outlying villages, might do. And imagine what you could accomplish in any number of troubled spots around the world that need potable water with a solution like this.


MAYO DRAFTFCB / UTEC
Mayo DraftFCB says it dropped the billboard along the Pan-American Highway at kilometer marker 89.5 when summer started (in December, mind you — Lima's south of the equator) and that it's designed to inspire young Peruvians to study engineering at UTEC while simultaneously illustrating how advertising can be more than just an eyesore. (Done and done, I'd say.)

"We wanted future students to see how engineers can also solve social needs in daily basis kinds of situations," said Alejandro Aponte, creative director at Mayo DraftFCB.

The city's residents could certainly use the help. According to a 2011 The Independent piece ominously titled "The desert city in serious danger of running dry," about 1.2 million residents of Lima lack running water entirely, depending on unregulated private-company water trucks to deliver the goods — companies that charge up to 30 soles (US $10) per cubic meter of H2O, or as The Independent notes, 20 times what more well-off residents pay for their tapwater.

Read more: http://techland.time.com/2013/03/05/f...

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