All is NOT Well at Chernobyl

Chernobyl Spin Nuked

Anyone who tells you animal populations are rebounding around the the Chernobyl, all is well at the site of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant which underwent a meltdown in 1986, and that nuclear energy is green and safe, is either a pathological liar, or has a personal stake in the industry. FEWW

Chernobyl animals worse affected than thought: study

Tue Mar 17, 2009 9:01pm EDT
By Nick Vinocur

LONDON (Reuters) – Radiation has affected animals living near the site of Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear disaster far more than was previously thought, a study showed Wednesday, challenging beliefs that local wildlife was on the rebound.

The study showed that numbers of bumble-bees, butterflies, spiders, grasshoppers and other invertebrates were lower in contaminated sites than other areas because of high levels of radiation left over from the blast more than 20 years ago.

The findings challenge earlier research that suggested animal populations were rebounding around the site of the Chernobyl explosion in Ukraine, which forced thousands to abandon their homes and evacuate the area.

Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant underwent a core meltdown [center] in 1986 with disastrous consequences. This image was taken by authorities in the former Soviet Union.

Estimates of the number of deaths directly related to the accident vary. The World Health Organization estimates the figure at 9,000 while the environmental group Greenpeace predicts an eventual death toll of 93,000.

“We were amazed to see that there had been no studies on this subject,” Anders Moller, a researcher at the National Center for Scientific Research in France, who led the study, said in telephone interview.

“Ours was the first study to focus on the abundance of animal populations.”

Researchers said they had compared animal populations in radioactive areas with less contaminated plots and found that some were nearly completed depleted of animal life.

“There are areas with an abundance of 100 animals per square meter,” Moller said. “And then there are areas with less than one specimen per square meter on average; the same goes for all groups of species.”

The researchers also found that animals living near the Chernobyl reactor — which was covered in a protective shell after it exploded in April 1986 — had more deformities, including discoloration and stunted limbs, than normal.

“Usually (deformed) animals get eaten quickly, as it’s hard to escape if your wings are not the same length,” Moller said. “In this case we found a high incidence of deformed animals.”

The findings challenge the view of Chernobyl as ecologically sound, despite the fact that Ukrainian officials have turned it into a nature reserve, with wolves, bison and bears.

Earlier research into the area ignored the fact that animal populations had grown unimpeded in the absence of humans for many years after the blast, Moller said.

“We wanted to ask the question: Are there more or fewer animals in the contaminated areas? Clearly there were fewer,” said Moller, who has worked on Chernobyl since 1991.

While researchers focused on the 30 kilometer radius around the Chernobyl reactor, the fallout from the explosion covered a vast swathe of Eastern Europe, including parts of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

The findings probably apply to those areas as well, Moller said, adding that any decontamination effort was unlikely due to the extent of the fallout. Copyright Reuters.

60 pct Chance Redoubt May Erupt

Redoubt Activity – Color Code ORANGE : Alert Level WATCH

Redoubt Volcano Latest Observations

Local time: March 17, 2009 1705 AKDT (March 18, 2009 0105 UTC)
At 2009-03-17 16:30:56 AKDT AVO Reported:

Seismic activity low and marked by small discrete earthquakes. Partly cloudy satellite and HutCam views show no sign of activity.

View of Redoubt steaming on March 15, 2009, taken by David Wartinbee, from Soldotna, AK. via AVO. Image courtesy of the photographer.

Current Status and Observations [Mirrored from AVO]

Seismic activity at Mount Redoubt increased at about 1:05 AKDT Sunday afternoon (March 15, 2009) and approximately 4 hours of continuous volcanic tremor ensued. The onset of the tremor was associated with a small explosion that produced a plume of gas and ash that rose to about 15,000 feet above sea level and deposited a trace amount of ash over the summit-crater floor and down the south flank of the volcano to about 3,000 feet. AVO responded to this increase in activity by raising the color code and alert level to ORANGE/WATCH at 2:50 PM AKDT. At this time it does not appear that the increase in activity heralds a significant eruption in the short term, but conditions may evolve rapidly.

An AVO overflight Sunday witnessed activity from 11:30 AM until about 3:00 PM and was able to document ash emission from a new vent, just south of the 1990 lava dome and west of the prominent ice collapse feature near the north edge of the summit crater. Although ash emission was short lived, it represents the first documented ash fall during the current episode of unrest at Mount Redoubt.

About twenty minutes after the initial steam and ash burst, a sediment-laden flow occurred from a small area in the ice at about 7000 feet on upper Drift glacier. This flow descended about 1500 feet and produced a distinctive seismic signature seen across the Redoubt network.

Although the intent of the overflight was make airborne gas measurements, only a few such measurements were possible due to the uncertain nature of the activity and potential for further ash emission. The measurements that were made indicated at least a qualitative increase in SO2 emission relative to levels measured previously. The gas data are currently being processed and will be available soon.

Photograph taken during observation / gas data collection flight to Redoubt Volcano on March 15, 2009 [13:10:28 AKDT] Image Creator: Bill Burton; courtesy of AVO/USGS.

Interpretation of New Activity and Possible Outcomes
Although preliminary, it is likely that the plume observed just after 1:00 PM AKDT on Sunday, March 15, 2009 was produced by a steam explosion in the shallow hydrothermal system of the volcano. Without examination of the ash we cannot say with certainty if the ash represents new magma or if it is merely pulverized old material from the surface of the volcano.

Steam-driven explosions are not unexpected events at Redoubt given the amount of heat that is being released at the surface. It is possible that more such explosions can occur with little or no warning. It is possible that these plumes can reach above 20,000 feet, and may contain minor amounts of fine ash.

Relatively rapid increases in seismic activity, and an overall waxing and waning pattern to the seismicity at Redoubt may persist for weeks to months. Increases in seismicity may or may not be associated with other volcanic phenomena, such as minor ash emission, and vigorous steaming. The burst of activity at Redoubt on March 15, 2009 indicates that the volcano is still in a restless condition.

AVO plans to visit Redoubt later this week to attempt collection of ash samples, retrieve GPS data and do some routine maintenance of seismic and other equipment.

AVO has resumed 24 hour per day staffing of the AVO operations center in Anchorage. http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Redoubt.php

Ascending eruption cloud from Redoubt Volcano and its reflection in the waters of Cook Inlet. View is to the west from the Kenai Peninsula. Photograph by J. Warren, April 21, 1990. Source: AVO

FEWW believes there’s a 60 percent probability Redoubt Volcano may erupt violently this year, possibly by July 2009.

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• No Doubt about Redoubt Volcano!