Japanese earthquake / tsunami discussion

amacachi

Rob A. Bank wrote: »

You don’t have to be a nuclear scientist to understand that an explosion in a nuclear power plant is a potentially serious disaster at the best of times.

Yes, potentially. But when it's a good distance from the reactor it's unlikely to be.

I fail to understand the motivation of those who are trying to play it down here.

My motivation is to counter alarmist statements like you made:

When it happens in the midst of post tsunami chaos, its a major catastrophe heaped on top of what the Japanese are having to cope with already.

It's not a catastrophe yet and is pretty highly unlikely to be.

Turtwig

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

From the BBC News:

At least three residents evacuated from a town near quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 plant have been exposed to radiation, both Kyodo and NHK report

One wonders how much though . . .

The only level of radiation I've seen so far is a worker at the plant exposed to 106 mSv. Oh and to put it in context it's far from a lethal does and carries about half of a percentage increased risk towards cancer.

Mr.Boots

This thread was good yesterday for keeping up to date with the situation unfolding.
Now it has just turned into a load of smartassisim....People trying to prove how much they know about whatever subject

Can you not try and keep it on topic and save your squabling

Sonnenblumen

Rather than bickering how about some focus on initiatives to help Japan deal with the catastrophe?

Thrill

1. 1511: All available personnel, vehicles, aircraft and vessels of Japan's Self Defence Force have been mobilised for relief efforts, up to a total deployment of 50,000, local media reports
   
   

Hendrixfan

ilovesleep wrote: »

There was a mention of it here earlier in the thread, or maybe it was over on politics.ie that volcanos has erupted
2 in russia,
1 in indonesia
1 in japan

Not sure if the info is 100% true, hard to keep up with all to goings on.

Goggle Sakurajima for Japan, Manado for Indonesia and Kamchatka for Russia, best find out for yourselves.

Thrill

ollie1 wrote: »

There has been 84 aftershocks after the earthquake :eek:

Thats just today. There were around 130 aftershocks yesterday.

PeakOutput

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

Rather than bickering how about some focus on initiatives to help Japan deal with the catastrophe?

well besides possibly donating to the relief effort what do you expect from the people of boards?

this is a discussion forum, people are discussing the earthquake and its affects and possible affects

people need to get off the high horse, this tragedy has happened, weather we talk about it or not will make no difference to the eventual outcome, I hope people help out te relief effort in any way they can, this thread can be used to discuss the different relief efforts of course, it can also be sued to follow the news and updates and to discuss the events.

if that is a problem for someone then they should probably read another thread

Rob A. Bank

amacachi wrote: »

Yes, potentially. But when it's a good distance from the reactor it's unlikely to be..

The explosion was right on top of the reactor !

The building surrounding the reactor was destroyed.

That coupled with the fact that the cooling system on other reactors is compromised and 13 diesel generators (yes 13) broke down and failed to pump coolant into the core is a cause for serious concern... if not alarm.

The poor Japanese need this like a hole in the head when you consider what they are trying to cope with already.

Yakult

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

Rather than bickering how about some focus on initiatives to help Japan deal with the catastrophe?

Work away, what have you in mind?

Wolfe Tone

Yakult wrote: »

Work away, what have you in mind?

Lets all go like a facebook page, that'll help.

Overheal

The situation when I logged off was there were some follow-on cooling issues in another plant. Earlier in the day they had already brought one of the reactors' backup systems back on but because it was late to do so steam was released as was expected. And then I went to bed. I'll have to play catch-up, I've heard about an explosion and I don't know at which core. Worst case is a meltdown but with better shielding (shielding which isnt flammable, those crazy ivans) this shouldn't become as awful as Chernobyl was. Importantly to those who may not know, this can NOT result in a nuclear detonation - I need not bore you with the physics, but they simply aren't there.

Thrill

Before and after satellite photos of Japan's Sendai area............


http://twitpic.com/48s6h8

Turtwig

Rob A. Bank wrote: »

The poor Japanese need this like a hole in the head when you consider what they are trying to cope with already.

Serious concern, of course, yes. Chernobyl type situation : nope extremely unlikely.

@Thrill, thanks mate that's fcuking horrific devastation! For a region with a population of over a million people how there' not more death is a testament to Japanese infrastructure and preparedness.

Pauleta

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

Three volcanoes erupt almost at the same time after Japan Earthquake

March 11, 2011 10:50 am PT

Kamchatka and one other in Indonesia, have erupted around the same time as the Japan 8.9-magnitude Earthquake on Friday.

Meteorologist Kevin Martin is the lead scientist here at TheWeatherSpace.com and explains in his own way what may actually be happening.

"Waves from the Earthquake have been ringing the planet like bell, causing stress in all sections of the planet", Martin said. "Imagine a calm magma chamber that just needs one push, even if a few feet. This would be enough to cause instability in the chambers, causing volcanic eruptions in various locations. These three eruptions will not be the only mountains to go and other quakes worldwide will follow as the worldwide faults get disturbed.

Yuri Yamamoto, a resident from Tokyo, tells TheWeatherSpace.com that Japan's early warning system gave Tokyo 30 seconds of a warning, proving an advanced system may actually work elsewhere and should be implemented in places like the Western Coast of the United States.

So it has been interesting to watch history unfolding across the planet, but TheWeatherSpace.com gives our condolences to those lost and the over 88,000 people in Japan that are reported to be missing.

As for the Tsunami Prediction Center, An amazing job from them as predictions were nearly accurate as in timing and strength of the waves.

This expert says the force of the waves on the planet may have caused the volcanoes. Its seems a good theory considering the Indian Ocean Tsunami was so powerful it actually altered the speed the planet moves at.

Mr.Boots

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Lets all go like a facebook page, that'll help.

My point is...alot of people are realy cut up about this...myself included...Why? beacause i know people in Japan.
Im following this thread and other sources in order to get information.
All the childish bickering isnt helping.
This type of thing tends to bring to moroons out on forums.
So....Can we please keep it to information guys???

Thrill

Japan nuclear safety agency rates Fukushima incident at 4 on scale of 1 to 7- Reuters.

Wolfe Tone

Mr.Boots wrote: »

My point is...alot of people are realy cut up about this...myself included...Why? beacause i know people in Japan.
Im following this thread and other sources in order to get information.
All the childish bickering isnt helping.
This type of thing tends to bring to moroons out on forums.
So....Can we please keep it to information guys???

If you want that follow this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

amacachi

Mr.Boots wrote: »

My point is...alot of people are realy cut up about this...myself included...Why? beacause i know people in Japan.
Im following this thread and other sources in order to get information.
All the childish bickering isnt helping.
This type of thing tends to bring to moroons out on forums.
So....Can we please keep it to information guys???

There's a massive difference between information and scaremongering, I'm trying to address the latter.

ilovesleep

Thrill wrote: »

Thats just today. There were around 130 aftershocks yesterday.

130 Aftershocks would be a quake approximately every 11 and a half minutes.
And for today - 84 - its a quake every 17 and a half minutes.

Absolutely horrendous

Mr.Boots

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

If you want that follow this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

allready watching that but thanks.

Killer Pigeon

nuxxx wrote: »

Care to give an example please?

FFS, just start another thread.

Sonnenblumen

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Lets all go like a facebook page, that'll help.

Yeah motormouths this way>>>>>>>>
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<Sheep
<<<<<<<<<<<Cheap chat>>>>>>>>>>>


Yakult, why do you need my ideas, cannot think for yourself?

BTW, I've already done something helpful.

Thrill

1. 1549: A five-member South Korean rescue team has touched down in Japan, Kyodo says; the first international team to arrive.
   
   

Overheal

Okay according to all sources the explosion happened when Reactor No. 1's Containment Vessel lost stability. It blew off the roof and some of the walling, perhaps by failsafe design I dont know. This image shows you what it is:

http://images.dailykos.com/i/user/40885/BoilingWaterReactor1.jpg

The only thing that surprises me about that is if that blew, then did they not vent steam like they were supposed to? Last night when I logged off the pressure was already at 2.5x the normal allowance.

The reactor Vessel itself is not said to be damaged. As to what actually cause the container explosion I don't know if it was just pressure buildup or something else.

snubbleste

This japanese station has lots of raw footage of events yesterday. Some chilling footage of people/cars/buses trying to get away but being swept away by the oncoming tsunami - stuff that western tv stations seem to edit.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tbstv

amacachi

Overheal wrote: »

Okay according to all sources the explosion happened when Reactor No. 1's Containment Vessel lost stability. It blew off the roof and some of the walling, perhaps by failsafe design I dont know. This image shows you what it is:

http://images.dailykos.com/i/user/40885/BoilingWaterReactor1.jpg

The only thing that surprises me about that is if that blew, then did they not vent steam like they were supposed to? Last night when I logged off the pressure was already at 2.5x the normal allowance.

Myself and (I think) Malty_T were talking about this earlier, it looks like they tried delaying and delaying the venting in the hope of not having to do it rather than take the hit early on. Though it's fairly open to speculation and I doubt it'll be big news by the time the whole truth is revealed.

Rob A. Bank

Thrill wrote: »

Japan nuclear safety agency rates Fukushima incident at 4 on scale of 1 to 7- Reuters.

That puts it at one greater on the INES scale than the 3 Mile Island incident and on a par with the various Sellafield incidents, but a lot less than the INES 7 that was Chernobil.

However the situation is evolving and seems unstable still. I do hope they can deal with it successfully.

Turtwig

Overheal wrote: »

The only thing that surprises me about that is if that blew, then did they not vent steam like they were supposed to? Last night when I logged off the pressure was already at 2.5x the normal allowance.

Yeah I seriously hope they had a good reason for doing so, because it seems an appalling decision. They vent some steam, but it appears not near enough. All I can do is hope and trust that those people on the ground know their plant quite well and that they were not swayed by fears of the perception of releasing some radioactive vapour.

Thrill

1555: Andrew Coad in Tokyo writes: "A strange hush still hangs over Tokyo with noticeably fewer cars on the roads. Taxis are operating and trains are getting back to normal schedules. Not such a good story in the stores - shopping today for bread, milk and water in several stores and there was none. The shelves are barren of all the key essentials as well as snack foods. Plenty of beer still, though."