Radiation from Japan found in kelp off US West Coast
Radioactive iodine was found in kelp, sampled from coastal California, following last year’s earthquake-triggered Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown, according to a new study.
Fukushima leak may have flowed into Pacific: TEPCO
About 12 tonnes of radioactive water has leaked at Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, with the facility’s operator saying that some may have flowed into the Pacific Ocean.
U.S. Coast Guard sinks Japanese boat washed away by tsunami
A U.S. Coast Guard cutter poured cannon fire into a Japanese ghost ship that had been drifting since last year’s tsunami, sinking the vessel in the Gulf of Alaska and eliminating the hazard it posed to shipping and the coastline.
Sampling the Pacific for Signs of Fukushima
An international research team is reporting the results of a research cruise they organized to study the amount, spread, and impacts of radiation released into the ocean from the tsunami-crippled reactors in Fukushima, Japan.
Japan Tsunami Holds Lessons for Pacific Northwest
The threat posed to coastal areas in the Pacific Northwest by massive tsunami flooding gained renewed attention after the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and consecutive devastating tsunami that rapidly inundated coastal areas in Japan on March 11, 2011. Scientists say that a similar tsunami hit the Pacific Northwest coast in 1700, and it may happen again. 90 percent of the coastal region’s residents evacuated effectively in japan, but a same situation would likely play out differently in the Pacific Northwest.
Fishing boat lost in Japan tsunami reaches Canada
A fishing boat lost in the massive Japanese tsunami a year ago has turned up off Canada’s west coast. The ship is the first, and largest, item confirmed to have crossed the Pacific Ocean to North America from Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.
Santorini Shows Signs of Volcanic Unrest, Greece
The volcanic caldera on the picturesque island of Santorini is showing signs of unrest. The Greek island was the site of one of the most massive volcanic eruptions in history 3,600 years ago. That eruption, which created tsunamis 40 feet (12 meters) tall, may have spawned the legend of the lost city of Atlantis. The volcano last erupted in 1950, albeit on a much smaller scale.
Earthquakes Jolted Japan’s Coast
A 6.1 earthquake, which caused substantial shaking in Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures east of Tokyo, followed just a few hours after a magnitude 6.8 quake jolted northern Japan. A tsunami warning was issued but later lifted after that earthquake.
The Seafloor Focuses and Merges Tsunami Waves
Scientists have known for years that the shape of the seafloor plays a role in how tsunami waves build up as they approach the coastline. A year after the earthquake and tsunami, rebuilding Japan’s coastal cities to withstand tsunamis remains a challenge.