Japan updates
Mar. 13th, 2011 04:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marinessAs if Japan wasn't enduring enough, a volcano decided to leap into the fun.
Since I could tell that some of the stuff the media is saying about seawater is dead wrong, I am questioning some of the confusing reports about the nuclear reactors in Japan. This, an explanation of nuclear reactors, was forwarded to me earlier; they link to the IAEA.org which is providing updated if (to me) somewhat vague information. I will also note that coverage seems to be falling into "pro nuclear" and "anti nuclear" camps which is not helpful for getting accurate information about to the public. Both camps are biased. (Disclosure: I tend toward the pro nuclear camp, with the added note that this disaster and the petrochemical/natural gas fires that also resulted stress the importance of developing solar/wind energy technologies.)
I can, however, say that if anyone is telling you that seawater is at a constant temperature and salinity you should probably change the channel. If anyone says anything about "pure" seawater (seawater has many, many things dissolved in it, particularly seawater that close to a land mass: nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, carbon dioxide, iron, copper, mercury, boron and many other elements besides sodium and chloride) you should also probably change the channel.
And that it would be awfully nice to not have to constantly be irritated at the media.
Since I could tell that some of the stuff the media is saying about seawater is dead wrong, I am questioning some of the confusing reports about the nuclear reactors in Japan. This, an explanation of nuclear reactors, was forwarded to me earlier; they link to the IAEA.org which is providing updated if (to me) somewhat vague information. I will also note that coverage seems to be falling into "pro nuclear" and "anti nuclear" camps which is not helpful for getting accurate information about to the public. Both camps are biased. (Disclosure: I tend toward the pro nuclear camp, with the added note that this disaster and the petrochemical/natural gas fires that also resulted stress the importance of developing solar/wind energy technologies.)
I can, however, say that if anyone is telling you that seawater is at a constant temperature and salinity you should probably change the channel. If anyone says anything about "pure" seawater (seawater has many, many things dissolved in it, particularly seawater that close to a land mass: nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, carbon dioxide, iron, copper, mercury, boron and many other elements besides sodium and chloride) you should also probably change the channel.
And that it would be awfully nice to not have to constantly be irritated at the media.