AGreenRoad - Spent Fuel Simulation - What Happens To Spent Fuel In Storage?

AGreen Road Project  

Published on Oct 31, 2013

This two- minute animation was created using Kirk Sorensen's Spent Fuel Explorer, which in turn uses an industry-validated source for generating the data.
www.agreenroadproject.org

I apologize for saying "megaton" when I meant "metric ton." And for the "20 year" text not being quite synced up to that time period. This is a first draft!

The flickering is due to an over-the-air capture of two runs of Sorensen's program. I didn't have time to figure out a pure-digital method in order to finish this by the day it was first needed (for the nuclear waste symposium in San Clemente October 19th, 2013). The image on the right had to be time-matched to the one on the left because the computer ran that portion of the simulation much faster than the more colorful left side. The two sides show the same thing different ways, and are in reasonably close synchronization now.

Video by Ace Hoffman
www.acehoffman.org

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Officials Search For Plan As California Reservoirs Drop Below Half Capacity

By Ari Phillips on October 31, 2013 at 10:08 am

A Sierra Nevada reservoir.

CREDIT: Shutterstock: Katarish

California is known for its massive water infrastructure in which northern reservoirs, which fill up from the Sierra Nevada snowpack, supply the populous southern and coastal regions of the state. However going into a third year of dry winter conditions, many of these northern man-made oases are at precariously low levels, hovering between one-third and one-half capacity, far less than the average for October.
More than 20 million Californians and many farmers in the state’s crop-intensive Central Valley depend on northern reservoirs for their water.
“Both the State Water Project and federal Central Valley Project heavily depend on the Sierra Nevada snowpack,” Mark Cowin, director of the state Department of Water Resources, told The Fresno Bee. “We are now facing real trouble if 2014 is dry.”
Cowin said that dwindling reservoirs should be a wake-up call to Californians, and indicate that it’s time to prepare for additional water-conservation measures.
Pete Lucero of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, owner of the Central Valley Project, told the Fresno Bee that January through May 2013 were California’s driest in about 90 years of recordkeeping.
Currently the San Luis Reservoir, which gets water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, is only 22 percent of its historical average for this time of year.
At a recent workshop that brought together leaders to hear about California’s water challenges, Cowin said that decades of disagreement among environmentalists, farmers, water agencies, and other interests in various parts of California has “resulted in gridlock.” And that with “environmental laws, climate change, and population growth intensifying the conflict, there’s simply no time to waste.”

Read More Here

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Researchers for the Wildlife Conservation Society : A species of humpback dolphin previously unknown to science is swimming in the waters off northern Australia

New Species of Dolphin Found in Australian Waters

A new as-of-yet unnamed species of humpback dolphin is shown off the coast of northern Australia. (Credit: Guido Parra)

Oct. 29, 2013 — A species of humpback dolphin previously unknown to science is swimming in the waters off northern Australia, according to a team of researchers working for the Wildlife Conservation Society, the American Museum of Natural History, and numerous other groups that contributed to the study.

To determine the number of distinct species in the family of humpback dolphins (animals named for a peculiar hump just below the dorsal fin), the research team examined the evolutionary history of this family of marine mammals using both physical features and genetic data. While the Atlantic humpback dolphin is a recognized species, this work provides the best evidence to date to split the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin into three species, one of which is completely new to science.
"Based on the findings of our combined morphological and genetic analyses, we can suggest that the humpback dolphin genus includes at least four member species," said Dr. Martin Mendez, Assistant Director of WCS's Latin America and the Caribbean Program and lead author of the study. "This discovery helps our understanding of the evolutionary history of this group and informs conservation policies to help safeguard each of the species."
The authors propose recognition of at least four species in the humpback dolphin family: the Atlantic humpback dolphin (Sousa teuszii), which occurs in the eastern Atlantic off West Africa; the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea), which ranges from the central to the western Indian Ocean; another species of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis), which inhabits the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans; and a fourth Sousa species found off northern Australia yet to be named (the formal adjustment of the naming and number of species occurs through a separate and complementary process based on these findings).
"New information about distinct species across the entire range of humpback dolphins will increase the number of recognized species, and provides the needed scientific evidence for management decisions aimed at protecting their unique genetic diversity and associated important habitats," said Dr. Howard Rosenbaum, Director of WCS's Ocean Giants Program and senior author on the paper.
Working to bring taxonomic clarity to a widespread yet poorly known group of dolphins, the authors assembled a large collection of physical data gathered mostly from beached dolphins and museum specimens. Specifically, the team examined features from 180 skulls covering most of the distribution area of the group in order to compare morphological characters across this region.
The researchers also collected 235 tissue samples from animals in the same areas, stretching from the eastern Atlantic to the western Pacific Oceans, analyzing both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA for significant variations between populations.
The humpback dolphin grows up to 8 feet in length and ranges from dark gray to pink and/or white in color. The species generally inhabits coastal waters, deltas, estuaries, and occurs throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans to the coasts of Australia. The Atlantic humpback dolphin is considered "Vulnerable" according to the IUCN Red List, whereas the Indo-Pacific dolphin species Sousa chinensis is listed as "Near Threatened." Humpback dolphins are threatened by habitat loss and fishing activity.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Wildlife Conservation Society.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Martin Mendez, Thomas J. Jefferson, Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis, Michael Krützen, Guido J. Parra, Tim Collins, Giana Minton, Robert Baldwin, Per Berggren, Anna Särnblad, Omar A. Amir, Vic M. Peddemors, Leszek Karczmarski, Almeida Guissamulo, Brian Smith, Dipani Sutaria, George Amato, Howard C. Rosenbaum. Integrating multiple lines of evidence to better understand the evolutionary divergence of humpback dolphins along their entire distribution range: a new dolphin species in Australian waters? Molecular Ecology, 2013; DOI: 10.1111/mec.12535

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Fukushima News 10/29/13: Radioactive Forests; Running Out of Fuku Fighters; Uncontrollable Fukushima

MissingSky101  

Published on Oct 29, 2013

Study: cesium from plant staying in forest soil
A team of Japanese researchers says most of the radioactive cesium that was released from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and fell on forest soil remains there.
Researchers at the government-affiliated Japan Atomic Energy Agency installed monitoring equipment in woods of northern Ibaraki Prefecture, near Fukushima Prefecture, in May 2011, 2 months after the accident. They hoped to learn how the cesium moved from fallen leaves to soil.
The results of more than 2 years of research show that rain washed cesium off leaves 6 months after the accident, and that as the leaves decomposed, it moved to the surface of underlying soil.

Govt. to study paying part of decontamination cost
A Japanese Cabinet minister has suggested the government should bear part of the costs for clearing radioactive substances from the area around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The central and local governments are currently conducting decontamination work and charging the costs to the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company.
But TEPCO has asked the government to cover some of the massive expenses. Government and governing party officials are discussing the utility's request.

TEPCO likely to post mid-year profit
Tokyo Electric Power Company is likely to post a profit in its midterm earnings report.
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is expected to post about 1.1 billion dollars in profits for the April-September period.
It will be the company's first midterm profit since the nuclear accident in March 2011.
Profits rose due to an increase in electricity sales during this summer's record heat wave, as well as a rise in household rates in September of last year.

Koizumi, Yoshida agree on nuclear-free society:
Former prime minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi and the leader of the opposition Social Democratic Party have agreed that the country should stop generating nuclear power.
SDP leader Tadatomo Yoshida, who assumed his post this month, met Koizumi in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Koizumi said continuing nuclear power generation would be irresponsible and impossible. He said the public cannot understand the policy of building nuclear waste disposal sites in the earthquake-prone country.

Former Leader of Japan: Fukushima disaster is "most severe accident in the history of mankind" — Top Regulator: Drastic steps needed due to growing problems at precarious plant
http://enenews.com/former-leader-of-j...

Tokyo Mother: "Total media blackout" in Japan of lots and lots of people developing symptoms related to Fukushima disaster (VIDEO) — "Many cases of sickness and death among young generations" not reported
http://enenews.com/tokyo-mother-total...

Cesium near Fukushima reported to be many times higher than claimed by Tepco — Levels rising further away from plant — Professor: After quake as big as last week there's concern about stuff breaking and leakage getting worse
http://enenews.com/cesium-near-fukush...

Tepco considers discharging Tritium to the Pacific after dilution
http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/10/te...

Cesium-134/137 detected from seawater near the outlet of plant drain outside of the port
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Seawater fence of reactor5&6 cut off again
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http://enenews.com/tv-journalist-pois...
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http://enenews.com/physician-high-rad...
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/20...

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Toxic Ocean Conditions During Mass Extinction Reveals Insight into Today's Climate

Catherine Griffin

First Posted: Oct 29, 2013 10:56 AM EDT

It turns out that it doesn't take much to turn our planet's ocean waters into something that's toxic to life. Scientists have taken a closer look at a massive extinction event that occurred 93.9 million years ago and have found that it didn't take as much sulfide as previously thought in the ocean waters to cause this major climatic perturbation. (Photo : Flickr.com/Jim Epter)

It turns out that it doesn't take much to turn our planet's ocean waters into something that's toxic to life. Scientists have taken a closer look at a massive extinction event that occurred 93.9 million years ago and have found that it didn't take as much sulfide as previously thought in the ocean waters to cause this major climatic perturbation.
In order to examine this particular extinction, the scientists examined the chemistry of rocks deposited during that time period. This revealed that oxygen-free and hydrogen sulfide-rich waters extended across roughly five percent of the global ocean. That's far more than today modern ocean's at .1 percent, but far less than previously thought.
"These conditions must have impacted nutrient availability in the ocean and ultimately the spatial and temporal distribution of marine life," said Jeremy Owens, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Under low-oxygen environments, many biologically important metals and other nutrients are removed from seawater and deposited in the sediments on the seafloor, making them less available for life to flourish."

Read More Here

..........

The Daily Galaxy

EcoAlert --Toxic Hydrogen Sulfide-Rich Oceans Led to Major Extinction 93.9 Million Years Ago

“Today, we are facing rising carbon dioxide contents in the atmosphere through human activities, and the amount of oxygen in the ocean may drop correspondingly in the face of rising seawater temperatures,” said said Timothy W. Lyons, a professor of biogeochemistry at University of California (Riverside). “Oxygen is less soluble in warmer water, and there are already suggestions of such decreases. In the face of these concerns, our findings from the warm, oxygen-poor ancient ocean may be a warning shot about yet another possible perturbation to marine ecology in the future.”

Oxygen in the atmosphere and ocean rose dramatically about 600 million years ago, coinciding with the first proliferation of animal life. Since then, numerous short-lived biotic events — typically marked by significant climatic perturbations — took place when oxygen concentrations in the ocean dipped episodically. The most studied and extensive of these events occurred 93.9 million years ago. By looking at the chemistry of rocks deposited during that time period, specifically coupled carbon and sulfur isotope data, a research team led by UCR biogeochemists reports that oxygen-free and hydrogen sulfide-rich waters extended across roughly five percent of the global ocean during this major climatic perturbation — far more than the modern ocean’s 0.1 percent but much less than previous estimates for this event.
The research suggests that previous estimates of oxygen-free and hydrogen sulfide-rich conditions, or “euxinia,” were too high. Nevertheless, the limited and localized euxinia were still sufficiently widespread to have dramatic effect on the entire ocean’s chemistry and thus biological activity.

Read More Here

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Sun Hurls 18 Solar Flares and Billions of Particles into Space

Catherine Griffin

First Posted: Oct 29, 2013 08:54 AM EDT

The sun's activity is ramping up some more as it approaches the peak of its 11-year solar cycle. Now, NASA has announced that our sun has released the first significant solar flares since June 2013 earlier this week. An X1.0-class flare exploded off the right side of the sun, peaking at 10:03 p.m. EDT on Oct. 27, 2013. This image was captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory in the 131 Angstrom wavelength. (Photo : NASA/SDO)

The sun's activity is ramping up some more as it approaches the peak of its 11-year solar cycle. Now, NASA has announced that our sun has released the first significant solar flares since June 2013 earlier this week.
Solar flares are actually powerful bursts of radiation. These radiation bursts, though, cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to harm humans. They can cause other problems, though; when intense enough, they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. This can cause radio communication blackouts for hours at a time.
In this case, the sun released several solar flares. One of the larger flares was classified as a X1.0 flare, which peaked on Oct. 27. X-class flares are the most intense and the number associated with the flare denotes exactly how strong it is. For example, an X2 flare is twice as intense as an X1 flare. An X3 flare is three times as intense.

Read More Here

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