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Science In Action: 18/03/2011

18/03/2011

BBC World Service - Science In Action, 18/03/2011

Scientists learn about the devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear incident in Japan

By studying the effects of the earthquake, tsunami and the ongoing nuclear incident in Japan, scientists hope to understand the Earth's power better

Fukushima
The situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan is ongoing and it looks like some if not all of the radioactive rods have started melting.  But what does this mean?  How do nuclear power stations work?  And what, if anything, can be done to prevent a radioactive contamination disaster?


Earthquake risk to Tokyo
The magnitude 9 earthquake in Japan is the biggest one to hit the region.  Often after a large earthquake things can quieten down on the seismic level, because of the release of pressure.  But Japan sits on some very complicated tectonic boundaries.  Sometimes stress and pressure can be passed along the fault, and further along the fault lies Tokyo, the capital of Japan with a population of 12 million.  A few years ago, geologists calculated that there was a 30% chance of a large earthquake under the Kanto region, where Tokyo is located, in the next 30 years.  But has this recent earthquake altered the odds?


Filming the Tsunami 
There is very little to be positive about with the situation in Japan.  The human cost is rising daily and the economic damage is vast.  But if scientists can learn from this and use it to try to mitigate such a disaster in the future, then there is a ray of hope.  Most of us will have trouble forgetting the incredible images of the massive, powerful tsunami waves surging onto the shores and across the landscape.  The sheer size and devastation of the waves was evident.  And although it leaves a horrific image etched on our minds, the images do have some practical uses.  Information about tsunami waves as they happen is rarely available to experts, they have to rely on witness statements and debris and damage left behind.  But in technologically savvy Japan, many people videoed the waves as they came to shore and this will now provide useful information to tsunami experts understanding how these waves behave when they surge over different landscapes.

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