8.9 earthquake in Japan: tsunami warnings

[dlgoff]

It seems there was a minor radiation release, and it also seems that some crewmembers of The Reagan (19 I think) were exposed to a fair (but nothing like a truly dangerous) dose.

Lets just hope the fuel stays submerged...

I just happened to be listing to Shepard Smith on Fox and they were hookup up with some Japans TV news with an interrupter. It's FOX I know.

 

[nismaratwork]

I just happened to be listing to Shepard Smith on Fox and they were hookup up with some Japans TV news with an interrupter. It's FOX I know.

I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean? Did they interrupt Smith for NHK, or the other way around?

 

[dlgoff]

Actually, shortly after the program began, Smith said that he/FOX had made contact with some Local (TOKYO is where he is) TV station. He got a flash report in his earpiece and mentioned that the explosion had just happened. He then switched to the local new and they were explaining this explosion was not the building but the outer reactor and contaminated water was leaking. They switched off very quickly and went back to Smith.

 

[nismaratwork]

Actually, shortly after the program began, Smith said that he/FOX had made contact with some Local (TOKYO is where he is) TV station. He got a flash report in his earpiece and mentioned that the explosion had just happened. He then switched to the local new and they were explaining this explosion was not the building but the outer reactor and contaminated water was leaking. They switched off very quickly and went back to Smith.

Ahhhh, OK, thanks dlgoff, I get it now. Sorry, my brain is slllloooowwwww today... and yesterday... and the day before... ... ...

 

[rhody]

Ahhhh, OK, thanks dlgoff, I get it now. Sorry, my brain is slllloooowwwww today... and yesterday... and the day before... ... ...

nismara,

So how was stress relief at the range, I assume you feel a bit more relaxed now, correct ?

Rhody...

 

[dlgoff]

Well, I wasn't really clear. Hope that helps the brain.

Anyway. Contaminated water? They didn't say steam.

 

[dlgoff]

This was the third explosion. Have I missed something?

SOMA, Japan — A third explosion in four days rocked the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in northeastern Japan early Tuesday, the country’s nuclear safety agency said.

The blast at Dai-ichi Unit 2 followed two hydrogen explosions at the plant...

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110314/GPG0101/110314009/1225/GPG02/Japanese-nuclear-plant-rocked-by-3rd-explosion?odyssey=nav|head"

 

[nismaratwork]

nismara,

So how was stress relief at the range, I assume you feel a bit more relaxed now, correct ?

Rhody...

Oh yes, I sprang for a box of match .357 sig rounds and drilled some sillouttes. Life is now good and calm. You have the same experience with bikes, don't you?

@dlgoff: Nope, it's the third explosion, you're correct.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Geiger counter readings from a friend in a southwest suburb of Tokyo
http://park18.wakwak.com/~weather/geiger_index.html

 

[nismaratwork]

Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Skittles!
Son of a goat's bastard offspring!

CNN reporting NHK: The reactor vessel (not sure which) is "probably" breached with radiation and pressure leaks in the vessel.

What next? Volcano... done... earthquake... done... tsunami... done... meltdown.. ongoing... seriously, what next?

 

[dlgoff]

I just heard there was a fourth explosion. And yea. That's what I head before. The vessel was breached.

Edit: We need a real source. Not just Shepard Smith.

 

[nismaratwork]

I just heard there was a fourth explosion. And yea. That's what I head before. The vessel was breached.

Edit: We need a real source. Not just Shepard Smith.

NHK saying that the reactor vessel is breached and fission products are escaping is probably reliable.

I have a question for Astronuc: If you lived in Hawaii... would you stick around or get out?

 

[dlgoff]

NHK saying that the reactor vessel is breached and fission products are escaping is probably reliable.

I have a question for Astronuc: If you lived in Hawaii... would you stick around or get out?

 

[rhody]

Oh yes, I sprang for a box of match .357 sig rounds and drilled some sillouttes. Life is now good and calm. You have the same experience with bikes, don't you?

@dlgoff: Nope, it's the third explosion, you're correct.

Sort of, but with me it is all about flow and concentration, the smoother the flow, the more relaxed the ride is. I never usually ride in anger... you tend to get hurt too easily. Glad you feel better.

Rhody...

 

[nismaratwork]

Sort of, but with me it is all about flow and concentration, the smoother the flow, the more relaxed the ride is. I never usually ride in anger... you tend to get hurt too easily. Glad you feel better.

Rhody...

Rhody, you're a good man, and you're right about riding/shooting (latter in my case). The calm comes from the need to focus on the body, the target, stability... it's almost a kind of meditation.

 

[Newai]

What gets me is the people that keep driving toward the flood waters. Clearly some are not paying attention to the unfolding disaster.

I've been thinking about this and I suppose that from their perspective on the ground they might not have seen it for the danger it really posed.

 

[nismaratwork]

Geiger counter readings from a friend in a southwest suburb of Tokyo
http://park18.wakwak.com/~weather/geiger_index.html

...And the CPM just doubled to an average of about 40. That's not good.

edit: How much of that is alpha emitting? I'd love to know to figure the Q factor in conversion to miliSieverts/hour...

 

[nismaratwork]

CNN is reporting that unit 2 may well have been fully compromised, and there is a report of a fire in/around unit 4.

 

[Astronuc]

NHK saying that the reactor vessel is breached and fission products are escaping is probably reliable.

I have a question for Astronuc: If you lived in Hawaii... would you stick around or get out?

If I was in Hawaii - I'd stay put.

If it was up to me - personally - I'd be at Fukushima Daiichi right now.

 

[nismaratwork]

If I was in Hawaii - I'd stay put.

If it was up to me - personally - I'd be at Fukushima Daiichi right now.

Heh... understood. Still... I'm glad that you're not.

 

[Angry Citizen]

If it was up to me - personally - I'd be at Fukushima Daiichi right now.

Okay Astronuc. Here's two important questions. First is, worst case scenario, how bad could this get? Second is, if you were within a mile of Fukushima, would you be worried about your health?

Also, I can't help but point out to everyone else that this thread is a really, really bad time to be chatting about 'stress relief' and assorted other garbage. This is the best news source many of us have right now because the mass media is piss-poor. I know I'm not a moderator, and in fact am just a nobody, but can we please keep the off-topic nonsense to other threads? I don't want to keep coming to this thread for information only to find people discussing non-earthquake-related things.

 

[Astronuc]

Okay Astronuc. Here's two important questions. First is, worst case scenario, how bad could this get? Second is, if you were within a mile of Fukushima, would you be worried about your health?

Also, I can't help but point out to everyone else that this thread is a really, really bad time to be chatting about 'stress relief' and assorted other garbage. This is the best news source many of us have right now because the mass media is piss-poor. I know I'm not a moderator, and in fact am just a nobody, but can we please keep the off-topic nonsense to other threads? I don't want to keep coming to this thread for information only to find people discussing non-earthquake-related things.

If I went - I would not take my wife or kids. I wouldn't put others at risk. I would be concerned about long term effects if the activity was sustained. Clearly there are people in the area - the plant staff - who are trying to minimize the consequences of this accident/failure.

For those interested in the weather patterns in the northern Pacific see:
http://www.stormsurfing.com/cgi/display_alt.cgi?a=npac_250

I'd like to find better sources from GOES and other satellites.

I am concerned about the local consequences and the activity numbers, but I don't know the quality or context of the numbers. I'd like to know the isotopes.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Readings shot up a bit, but coming down now
http://park18.wakwak.com/~weather/geiger_index.html

 

[OmCheeto]

If I was in Hawaii - I'd stay put.

If it was up to me - personally - I'd be at Fukushima Daiichi right now.

Me too. There is nothing so wonderful like an impossible problem to fix.

But I'll go in your stead, and text you with all that is going on.
You've a wife and kids after all, and I've not.

hmm...

weird.

I just learned the phrase "nanaimo sheedonai" just a couple of weeks ago.
what a strange and coincidental world we live in.

 

[Borg]

Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Skittles!
Son of a goat's bastard offspring!

CNN reporting NHK: The reactor vessel (not sure which) is "probably" breached with radiation and pressure leaks in the vessel.

What next? Volcano... done... earthquake... done... tsunami... done... meltdown.. ongoing... seriously, what next?

Cyclones and meteor strikes?

I just learned the phrase "nanaimo sheedonai" just a couple of weeks ago.
what a strange and coincidental world we live in.

My own personal coincidence is that I've have been refreshing my knowledge of modern physics over the last few months. This weekend, I made it to chapter 30 - the section on nuclear reactions.

BTW, what does "nanaimo sheedonai" mean? All I get in Google is a reference to towns in Canada and Japan (nanaimo).

 

[rhody]

From http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/03/15/radiation-fears-mount-explosions-rock-japanese-nuclear-plant/" this morning...

It seems my fear of the spent nuclear fuel being compromised yesterday was correct:

There were two explosions on Tuesday at two of the reactors at the nuclear facility after days of frantic efforts to cool them. Japan told the U.N. nuclear watchdog a spent fuel storage "pond" was on fire and radioactivity was being released "directly" into the atmosphere.

and

Japanese media have became more critical of Kan's handling of the disaster and criticized the government and nuclear plant operator TEPCO for their failure to provide enough information on the incident.

Bingo... as has been followed here on PF, enough said...

Rhody...

P.S. I feel sick... really...

 

[Astronuc]

While a few days ago I could say that the situation was more like TMI-2, primarily in the core dynamics, based on the activity release, it's seeming more like Chernobyl. I don't think the cores will melt the Chernobyl did, but the activity releases are high (not quantifiable at the moment).

I'm waiting for better information.

Whatever the industry PR - this is a colossal failure in several areas.

US utilities, especially with plants that have BWRs with Mk I containment, have already started review processes on their plant designs and emergency operating procedures, to ensure to the extent possible, that this event will not happen in the US.

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS_Possible_damage_at_Fukushima_Daiichi_2_1503111.html

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I just learned the phrase "nanaimo sheedonai" just a couple of weeks ago.

Nanimo shiranai? That would mean "I don't know anything."

 

[OmCheeto]

Nanimo shiranai? That would mean "I don't know anything."

I usually spell the phrase as I hear it. To be truthful, that's pretty much all I know how to say in those 30 or so https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=3045669&postcount=73". It's a silly hobby, but an excellent conversation starter when meeting people from different lands. Om cheeto means "I know nothing" in Cantonese.

But I have the feeling we are going to hear a lot of "Nanimo shiranai", from a few Japanese exec's in the next few months/years. Though I may be inappropriately projecting my own prejudices based on http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/oct/26/citigroup-exec-forgetful-on-witness-stand-in-nyc/" .

 

[nismaratwork]

Cyclones and meteor strikes?

My own personal coincidence is that I've have been refreshing my knowledge of modern physics over the last few months. This weekend, I made it to chapter 30 - the section on nuclear reactions.

BTW, what does "nanaimo sheedonai" mean? All I get in Google is a reference to towns in Canada and Japan (nanaimo).

You actually cheered me up with that...

...I clearly have deep-seated issues.

@Astronuc & @Greg: That friend of Greg's... I can't believe that spike, and I hate to think of what the conversion to mSv would be if it's alpha emitters in the mix. AFAIK 100 CPM is a very rough conversion to 1 REM/minute... which if I remember correctly would mean a potentially fatal dose in 8-12 hours of constant exposure at that level with a Q factor of 1. (I know, Q only matters for Sv, not REM).

I'm glad that subsided, but that's in a suburb outside of the exlusion zone that's in place now, isn't it?

I'd add, given the evolution of this event, and the winds seeming to carry any low-hanging "fruit" back to the mainland of Japan... the zone established seems... arbitrary.

@OmCheeto: Expect a lot more ending in "shimasu and 'ita" and in a low tone, followed by resignations. Ex. "Onegaishimasu, oyurishi kudasai! Arigatou, gozaimagarbagea." (basically, pretty pretty please, please forgive me, thank you 'big time' *spirit of, not exact trans*)

Oh, and cheeto, don't pronounce those u's at the end... or at least, it's almost an unuttered vowel. Then again, you're not going to be the one in 'hyper-polite' mode...