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Media, Presentations & Media

Radiation from Fukushima reactor detected off Vancouver Island

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Radiation from Fukushima reactor detected off Vancouver Island

Fukushima Dai-ichi radiation Vancouver
This satellite image provided by DigitalGlobe shows the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear facility in Japan on Monday, March 14, 2011. Radiation from the leaking Fukushima nuclear reactor in Japan has been detected on the shores of Vancouver Island. Scientists say it’s the first time since a tsunami in Japan four years ago that radiation has been found on the shorelines of North America. (AP Photo/DigitalGlobe)
 Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press


Published Monday, April 6, 2015 7:32PM EDT

VICTORIA — Radiation from the leaking Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor has been detected on the shores of Vancouver Island, four years after a deadly earthquake and tsunami in Japan killed 16,000 people.

University of Victoria chemical oceanographer Jay Cullen said Monday that it’s the first time radiation has been found on the shorelines of North America since the quake and tsunami ravaged the Japanese north coast and disabled the nuclear reactor. Continue reading Radiation from Fukushima reactor detected off Vancouver Island →

Biota, FAQ, Monitoring

More Fukushima Question and Answer: Why don’t you measure contamination in marine algae?

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By Jay T. Cullen

Diatoms under the microscope. Important marine algae that form the base of the food web in oceanic environments. From http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_images.jsp?cntn_id=128913&org=NSF


The purpose of this post is to address common questions related to Fukushima monitoring efforts being conducted by the Integrated Fukushima Ocean Radionuclide Monitoring (InFORM) network in the northeast Pacific Ocean and coastal waters of Canada. This diary continues a series aimed to report the results of scientific research into the impact of the Fukushima disaster on the environment. I am asked routinely why we do not measure contamination in marine microalgae, the base of the marine foodweb, given that they concentrate radionuclide contamination from Fukushima found in seawater into their cells as they grow. The extremely low levels of contamination found from Fukushima in the northeast Pacific Ocean combined with the very small amounts of microalgae present in oceanic waters make such monitoring logistically infeasible. Follow below the fold for the detailed answer. Continue reading More Fukushima Question and Answer: Why don’t you measure contamination in marine algae? →

Media, Presentations & Media

Tsunami Talk Took Place This Week in Prince Rupert – CFTK Prince Rupert

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Residents gathered to hear of the effects of the 2011 Japanese Tsunami

Devon Johnson

6/4/2015

Four years later, debris continues to wash ashore on Haida Gwaii and the BC Coast from the 2011 Japanese tsunami. This week, Prince Rupert and Terrace residents listened to two experts talk about the severe impact the tsunami is continuing to have.As waves crash against BC’s Northern Shores, more debris is being discovered says Shoreline Cleanup Manager Kate Le Souef.

“The quantity of debris that we’re finding on the coast line is probably what is the most shocking. So, for example we pulled 4 tonnes of debris off the West Coast trail just in a day of cleanup.”

However, its not just tsunami debris, but from everyday activities says Le Souef. If action is taken to reduce garbage and plastic production, it’s possible to make a difference. Continue reading Tsunami Talk Took Place This Week in Prince Rupert – CFTK Prince Rupert →

FAQ, Presentations

Question and Answer: Public Discussion of Fukushima Impact on the West Coast of North America

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By Jay T. Cullen

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Map showing the location of public talks for the InFORM project June 1-4, 2015.

The purpose of this post is to report on a recent public discussion tour to convey the latest results of the Integrated Fukushima Ocean Radionuclide Monitoring (InFORM) network to residents of the north coast of British Columbia. This post continues a series aimed to report the results of scientific research into the impact of the Fukushima disaster on the environment. Between June 1-4, 2015 I traveled from Victoria up to Haida Gwaii, over to Prince Rupert and up the Skeena River to Terrace and gave 8 public talks to communicate the results of the networks monitoring efforts to determine the impact of the Fukushima Dai-ichi meltdowns on the health of the northeast Pacific and residents of the North American west coast. I was able to meet three of our citizen scientist volunteers who have been collecting shoreline samples to look for Fukushima derived contamination of coastal seawater. The response to these presentations was overwhelmingly positive and the public asked very useful questions about monitoring thus far. Despite the overall usefulness of the discussions some old misinformation keeps rearing its head. Here I’ll show some of the beautiful spots on our coast and begin the process of addressing some more of the misinformation related to Fukushima impacts on the west coast. Continue reading Question and Answer: Public Discussion of Fukushima Impact on the West Coast of North America →

Coastal

Fukushima InFORM Monitoring Data Now Available from the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control

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By Jay T. Cullen

BCCDC_P_Building_Exterior_Sign3_W265web

In an effort to communicate the results of our investigation into the impact of the Fukushima disaster on Canadian ocean ecosystems and the public our data is now being shared through the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control.  The BCCDC is an agency under the Provincial Health Services Authority and their website is a fantastic resource for those concerned about a multitude of health issues.  In particular they have a very information rich section devoted to radiation in the environment and health of BC residents. This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page regarding the Fukushima Dai-ichi disaster is particularly useful and well presented.  InFORM and partner organization Our Radioactive Ocean’s citizen science seawater monitoring data can be found on the BCCDC website here. Thanks to our colleagues at BCCDC for their continued work guarding the health of BC residents.