FROM: NUCLEAR NEWS
Utilizing huge samples of sea kelp taken off the California Coast a program titled “Kelp Watch 2014” will keep vigil on the highly fragile ecosystem of the Pacific Ocean, and the fallout to this region caused by the Fukushima disaster.
The short term monitoring system comprised of scientists from California State University and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, initiated by CSULB Biology Professor Steven L. Manley and the Berkeley Lab’s Head of Applied Nuclear Physics Kai Vetter, will measure kelp which could be contaminated by radioactive waste being brought in by sea currents from Del Norte to Baja.
Kelp vitality is a good measure of the overall health of the Pacific Ocean. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) states:
“. . .kelp may experience reduced growth rates and reproductive success in more toxic waters and sediments. Studies on microscopic stages of kelp suggest that kelp is sensitive to sewage, industrial waste discharges, and other causes [radioactive disasters] of poor water and sediment quality.”
Samples will be taken many times throughout the year and sent to the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Low Background Facility to be analyzed. Findings will be published for the public to see.
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