This update on a topic very near and dear to many of us who live on the Pacific coastline via the David Suzuki foundation… More than three years have passed since the devastating Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in Japan. On our Pacific coast, an innovative crowd-sourced citizen science seawater sampling project is starting to yield information.
Concerned citizens, First Nations, foundations and businesses have come together to monitor North American coastal waters. “Because of this unique collaboration, we’ve been able to begin building the most comprehensive dataset on radioactivity levels in the ocean along the west coast of North America since the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster,” said Ken Buesseler, WHOI marine chemist, in a news release.
So far, none of the citizen-collected seawater samples taken from the Pacific Coast has contained any trace of radiation from Fukushima, but continued support for monitoring is needed as the cesium isotopes reach our coast with levels possibly increasing over the coming few years. Data from samples is posted at How Radioactive Is Our Ocean?
Learn more about it and find out how you can join in via the organization’s blog or facebook page