Japan: Earthquake, Tsunami + Nuclear Disasters

[Crepuscular Ray]

Well no new bad news which I suppose is good news but is it the calm before the storm. Expert on the TV again playing it down. Not sure about water absorbing the radiation either from the melting fuel rods.

As regards the storage tank next to No. 4 reactor where the older rods are left to cool in a tank of water until they can find a mug to store them, it's not so much that the water absorbs the radiation as the effects if the uranium meets the oxygen in the atmosphere. Think fizzy vitamin C tablet times a factor of a couple of billion, with radioactivity. If they don't keep those rods away from the atmosphere, it could get very, very nasty, and I can't imagine people in the north-west of Canada or the US is feeling anything except worried, given the prevailing wind direction.

[The PIT]

Again no major news is good news although it now seems that power hasn't been restored to the cooling system and will take a bit longer.

Guess we need to get Essan on stand by with that brush and pan.

[Snowangel-MK]

Japan's meteorological agency has said that winds in Fukushima are currently blowing south-east towards the sea. It forecasts that the winds will blow in a north-easterly direction on Friday afternoon.

http://www.weather-report.jp/com/home/kishomap/fusoku/japan.html

Some heartening news for the earthquake and tsunmai affected areas where weather has been bitterly cold: temperatures are set to rise in Miyagi prefecture and surrounding areas over the weekend.

Edited March 18, 2011 by MKsnowangel

[Coast]

[Snowangel-MK]

[it has been confirmed by the IAEA the level of nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi has been raised to 5. There are seven points on the scale. Chernobyl in 1986 was at 7 on the scale. Three Mile Island, America's worst commercial nuclear accident in 1979 was at 5 on the scale.]

http://www.targetmap.com/viewer.aspx?reportId=4870

The Prefecture of Miyagi and Fukishima are still showing radiation levels as being 'under survey'

Edited March 18, 2011 by MKsnowangel

[Snowangel-MK]

The main development this morning is that Japan has raised the level of nuclear alert from four to five on a seven point international scale.

There is more detail about why the IAEA raised the nuclear alwert level for Japan. A spokesman said it was made because of the condition of reactors 1, 2, and 3 at the plant. "The cooling function was lost and the reactor cores were damaged. Radioactive particles continue to be released in the environment,"

Meanwhile the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog warned the battle to stabilise the plant was a race against the clock.

And exactly one week on from the quake, more details are emerging from the affected areas about the extent of the damage and how survivors are coping.

Edited March 18, 2011 by MKsnowangel

[The PIT]

I see the alert level has be raised to five. I guess Essan will need a larger brush.

[NorthNorfolkWeather]

The main development this morning is that Japan has raised the level of nuclear alert from four to five on a seven point international scale.

There is more detail about why the IAEA raised the nuclear alwert level for Japan. A spokesman said it was made because of the condition of reactors 1, 2, and 3 at the plant. "The cooling function was lost and the reactor cores were damaged. Radioactive particles continue to be released in the environment,"

Meanwhile the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog warned the battle to stabilise the plant was a race against the clock.

And exactly one week on from the quake, more details are emerging from the affected areas about the extent of the damage and how survivors are coping.

I read a couple of reports that said that it looks as though we are moving "Step by Step Away from Catastrophe". I hope they are right.

It seems they have, will will very soon have power on site, but then we have to look as to whether the electrical circuits etc have been damaged.

Overall looks slightly better, but there is a raised radiation level over quite a wide area

As regards the storage tank next to No. 4 reactor where the older rods are left to cool in a tank of water until they can find a mug to store them, it's not so much that the water absorbs the radiation as the effects if the uranium meets the oxygen in the atmosphere. Think fizzy vitamin C tablet times a factor of a couple of billion, with radioactivity. If they don't keep those rods away from the atmosphere, it could get very, very nasty, and I can't imagine people in the north-west of Canada or the US is feeling anything except worried, given the prevailing wind direction.

Hi CR,

Although you are right to a degree, there is the fact that the containers holding the individual lumps of uranium would have to melt or fracture before what you describe would happen. My greater concern is the fact that there's Plutonium in the rods as well, that's an order of magnitude nastier than Uranium (which is pretty bad in itself)

Edited March 18, 2011 by NorthNorfolkWeather

[Snowangel-MK]

Electricity could be restored on Saturday morning at the Reactor 4 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, operator Tokyo Electric Power says, according to the Reuters news agency

The situation at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant is still very grave. Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan says, Many officials, such as police and fire fighters, have put their lives on their line to help the situation. He says he is committed to resolve the issue and will work with the Japanese public and all the stakeholders involved to overcome this crisis.

"Radiation levels have increased very slightly, but are still well below the absolute levels of radiation where it would be considered a public health risk," WHO spokesman Greg Hartl is quoted as saying by the AP news agency.

An unnamed diplomat says Japan's radioactive fallout has reached southern California but first readings are "a billion times beneath levels" that would be considered a threat to health, AP reports.

[Snowangel-MK]

1413: At the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, military fire trucks are spraying the reactors with tonnes of water. "The whole world, not just Japan, is depending on them," Tokyo office worker Norie Igarashi, 44, told AP news agency, referring to the emergency teams working amid heightened radiation levels.

The New Scientist has published an article explaining why Fukushima Daiichi won't be another Chernobly. It says: "Meltdown would only become possible if, for some inexplicable reason, the operators were to undo all they have done to date to control the reaction. There have been some leaks of radioactive material and will probably be more, partly because containment systems have been breached, and partly because radioactive steam must be regularly vented to allow more water in. The biggest threat now seems to be the spent fuel ponds, where the water level has fallen and temperatures have risen. That could lead to the fuel rods breaking open, releasing their radioactive contents."

http-~~-//www.newscientist.com/article/dn20257-why-fukushima-daiichi-wont-be-another-chernobyl.htm

[The PIT]

1413: At the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, military fire trucks are spraying the reactors with tonnes of water. "The whole world, not just Japan, is depending on them," Tokyo office worker Norie Igarashi, 44, told AP news agency, referring to the emergency teams working amid heightened radiation levels.

The New Scientist has published an article explaining why Fukushima Daiichi won't be another Chernobly. It says: "Meltdown would only become possible if, for some inexplicable reason, the operators were to undo all they have done to date to control the reaction. There have been some leaks of radioactive material and will probably be more, partly because containment systems have been breached, and partly because radioactive steam must be regularly vented to allow more water in. The biggest threat now seems to be the spent fuel ponds, where the water level has fallen and temperatures have risen. That could lead to the fuel rods breaking open, releasing their radioactive contents."

http-~~-//www.newscientist.com/article/dn20257-why-fukushima-daiichi-wont-be-another-chernobyl.htm

However the experts said we wouldn't ever get this far and we have.

Anyway heavy snow has prevented further searching for survivors of the quake and tsunami. So far 6911 dead 10316 still missing.

[Snowangel-MK]

Last Friday's tsunami generated waves at least 23m (76ft) high, according to a study by the Port and Airport Research Institute in Ofunato, Iwate prefecture, the Yomiuri daily newspaper reports.

The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan says at least some 400 square kilometres were flooded by the tsunami. This figure may be revised upwards as the survey using aerial photos has yet to analyse 20% of the affected area, AFP reports.

The Japan Meteorological Agency says a record 262 aftershocks of magnitude 5 or greater were recorded in the week following last Friday's devastating 9.0 earthquake, Kyodo News reports.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...acific-12748215

Press the play button or use the slider to see the spread, size and frequency of earthquakes in Japan greater than magnitude 5 since 10 March.

[Snowangel-MK]

The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog warned in Tokyo that the battle to stabilise the plant was a race against the clock. Japanese emergency teams have been battling to repair the Fukushima nuclear plant stricken by the quake and tsunami - fire engines and army helicopters have sprayed tonnes of water on the plant, and power lines have been re-laid according to a statement from the Fukushima station operator (Tepco): "Tepco has connected the external transmission line with the receiving point of the plant and confirmed that electricity can be supplied.", but a worrying report in the LA Times suggests that some engineers believe the cooling pumps were irretrievably damaged by the hydrogen explosions that wracked the reactor buildings in the first four days, or by corrosion from the seawater that has been pumped into the reactor. At the very least, however, restoring power should restore many of the control functions at the reactor.

Japan went to bed after news the gravity of the nuclear crisis at Fukushima had been raised to Level 5 but it is clear that Fukushima is a much more serious problem than Three Mile Island. Little or no radiation escaped from the Pennsylvania facility, and no one was injured there.

The temperature is just below zero in Fukushima. Nearly 400,000 people are spending another night in shelters in the north-east, where supplies of food, water, medicine and heating fuel are low.

The confirmed death toll from the disaster has risen and thousands more people are missing.

On Sunday, meteorologists predict a heavy rainstorm for the Fukushima area, with the prevailing winds changing toward the direction of Tokyo.

[Coast]

Japanese authorities are considering a “Chernobyl solution†for the stricken nuclear power plant at Fukushima that would bury it in concrete and sand.

As the team of 300 workers continues to try to douse the reactors with water, engineers said they had not ruled out the drastic measures. But the “messy fix†would be considered only as a last-ditch attempt as it would leave the plant and its surroundings off limits for decades. “It is not impossible to encase the reactors in concrete, but our priority right now is to try to cool them down first,†a spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power, the plant’s owners, said.

At Chernobyl, authorities literally “threw everything†at the reactor to try to cool it down, including lead, boric acid and liquid nitrogen.

When they finally extinguished the fires, an army of workers conscripted by the then Soviet government buried the reactor in thousands of tons of sand, then threw together a concrete container known as the “sarcophagusâ€.

Despite costing hundreds of millions of pounds, the “sarcophagus†is already falling apart – and fears are growing that it is leaking radiation again. Now they want to spend a further £600 million building an even bigger containment building, to put a lasting lid on the leak. The situation at the Fukushima plant is likely to be even more complex and expensive because it involves not just one reactor but six.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8392154/Japan-nuclear-crisis-scientists-consider-Chernobyl-solution.html

I guess at least we are 7+ days from the initial problems and they are still just about keeping on top of it?

[Snowangel-MK]

A warm front in north-east Japan is bringing some respite to hundreds of thousands of homeless tsunami victims after days of freezing temperatures carpeted the region in snow and ice, reports AFP.

[Snowangel-MK]

BREAKING NEWS: Another earthquake has hit Japan, Reuters flashes - Tokyo buildings shook

The quake which has just struck hit Ibaraki prefecture and registered magnitude 6.1, AFP says

There is no tsunami threat and no immediate reports of injuries or damage, NHK says.

1025: There are still no reports of damage following the 6.1-magnitude quake that hit Ibaraki prefecture. Japan has been hit by hundreds of aftershocks since 11 March, many strong, but this one may cause additional concern as its epicentre is close to the damaged nuclear plant at Fukushima

Edited March 19, 2011 by MKsnowangel

[The PIT]

Morning news on breakfast there's nothing to worry about as radiation amounts detected so far are small away from the reactor. Thats because it's blowing out too sea causing the American fleet to change location.

Now if they were on top this means every step was planned as were the explosions. I prefer to hear getting on top.

After shock not showing up on the USGS. False alarm and report possibly.

[Rustynailer]

I have been away for the week. Totally shocked and I feel so sorry for the Japanese people.

Thank god they are so civilized. Note no looting or civil disorder, just determination. They are very Honorable and brave. IMO they put the C in civilized.

On a lighter note thanks to the fact they are brave and camera mad we have such good footage to learn from. Most people would just drop the camera and run...

I have just noticed this on the Internet:- http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3e6_1300505578 Link to live leak Japanese coastguard cutter riding tsunami.

Regarding the Nuclear stuff, well they are as daft as the rest of us, radioactivity and Man/Woman don't mix. I doubt they(everybody) will stop dabbling....Daft as we all are...

Mind you I doubt there are many on the planet as brave and intelligent. To deal with these reactors all six of them, each a major headline on its own is a monumental task.

Aftershocks from a Mag 9 can be as high as mag 8 it all depends "if and where" I hope for better luck for such lovely people.

Deepest respect to Japan.

Russ

Edited March 19, 2011 by Rustynailer

[The PIT]

Ah shock on now usgs but overall activity reducing thankfully.

[snow raven]

A sliver of positive news at last: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12793925

That might explain why this thread hasn't had an update for nearly 12 hours.

[Backtrack]

A sliver of positive news at last: http://www.bbc.co.uk...acific-12793925

That might explain why this thread hasn't had an update for nearly 12 hours.

It's about time isn't it?

I think we should all admire the bravery of the 50 engineers who stood by putting their own lives at risk to save thousands of people from being exposed to harmful radiation!

[The PIT]

A sliver of positive news at last: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12793925

That might explain why this thread hasn't had an update for nearly 12 hours.

I'm waiting until tomorrow before getting carried away.

The guys working there should be given the freedom of Japan when it's over.

[Coast]

[Snowyowl9]

I like to see more of the natural events that are going on in the world on the news nature at it`s most powerfull,instead of wars on the news.

Very sad about Japan though the worst disaster I`ve seen,very nice people they seem so calm no looters there.

http://www.theweatherspace.com/news/TWS-3_11_2011_threevolcano.html

The neuclear reminds me of chernoval when radiation came into north Wales ground sheep could not be sold for years,and some freaky lambs were born.

Earthquake in the phillipines at 6.4 I see today.

[Snowangel-MK]

Two survivors found in quake-hit Japan city Ishinomaki

An 80-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy have been plucked from the rubble of a house demolished by the enormous quake which hit Japan nine days ago

http-~~-//www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12798807