Fresh Brew
Sea Grant to study Water Pathways in Cape Cod Bay to model potential Pilgrim Wastewater release
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Sea Grant has been recommended for rapid response funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Sea Grant Program to study the pathways of circulation in Cape Cod Bay. This study is designed to shed light on the possible fate of 1.1 million gallons of radioactive wastewater from the…
Read MoreOcean Iron Fertilization: Assessing its potential as a climate solution
Hot off the press November 2nd, 2022 a new white paper by authors with the Exploring Ocean Iron Solutions (ExOIS) group including steering committee member Ken Buesseler. You can either review the report online, or download our PDF. ExOIS is an umbrella organization that strives to foster partnerships for scientific research as well as with…
Read MoreMore data needed before ocean water release of Fukushima water
A new commentary in the Japan Times by Ken Buesseler, highlights that the full extent of the radioactive isotopes in water in the tanks stored at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant require more study before the water is dumped into the ocean. The Nuclear Regulatory Authority last month announced its approval for the discharge…
Read MoreThe greatest migration happens in darkness every day
A recent Scientific American article by Katherine Harmon Courage talks about the ocean twilight zone and the “Greatest migration on Earth (that) happens under darkness every day.” Every evening around the world trillions of zooplankton, many smaller than a grain of rice, hover hundreds of feet below the surface of the sea, waiting for their…
Read MoreThe Power of the Ocean
Opinion piece just published on The Hill by Ken Buesseler December 23, 2021 Carbon dioxide removal has been described both as humanity’s last, best hope to stave off the looming climate crisis, and as the stuff of dystopian science fiction. As is usually the case, reality falls somewhere in the middle. But if we take…
Read MoreComments on Nov. 2021 Fukushima Radiological Impact Assessment
On November 17, 2021 TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) made public a Radiological Impact Assessment concerning the discharge of water stored at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant site into the ocean. This water, treated with the ALPS method, was found in their assessment to likely have minimal effects on the public and environment and…
Read MoreNEW Report released on the roll of Oceans in Carbon Dioxide Removal
A NEW report has been released: A Research Strategy for Ocean Carbon Dioxide Removal and Sequestration. The report, by a committee of 12 with the National Academies of Science includes Dr. Ken Buesseler and provides a path forward for research and development needed to assess the viability of ocean-based carbon dioxide removal approaches. The report…
Read MoreOur Three “Hour” Tour
By Ken Buesseler, NORTHERN ATLANTIC OCEAN For those of us who grew up watching Gilligan’s Island, we all know the fateful story of the “three-hour tour.” Well, as this oceanographer knows, that TV storm is not that different from the weather we are facing out here in the North Atlantic on the research vessel Sarmiento…
Read More10 Years after Fukushima: I’m still worried
It has been 10 years since the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plants in Japan, and worries still abound. Read this opinion piece by Ken Buesseler: 10 Years After Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Meltdown, I’m Still Worried | Opinion Nearly 10 years ago, I boarded a flight from Boston to Tokyo, filled with anxiety.…
Read MoreEVENT: March 4th – Fukushima and the Ocean: 10 Years of study and insight
PLEASE JOIN US Thursday March 4th For the 10th anniversary of the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear Power Plant we will be hosting a live discussion in both Japanese and English. There will be a virtual poster session and interactive questions. Please see the website for more information, FREE registration
Read MoreAddressing contaminants from Fukushima and the risks of ocean dumping
A fresh look at seawater stored in tanks on the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant site indicates that more research and analyses are needed prior to releasing the water back to the ocean. Nearly 10 years after the Tohoku-oki earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant and triggered an unprecedented release radioactivity…
Read MoreUnderstanding Risks of Radioactive Effluent at San Onofre, CA
Surfrider is a non-profit foundation dedicated to the protectoin and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves and beaches for all people. They have begun a campaign to “Get Nuclear Waste Off California’s Coast” and interviewed Ken Buesseler about liquid effluent being released from the now-closed San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant: How worried should we be?…
Read MoreThe danger of creating a designer planet
In a guest blog, Ken Buesseler from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, calls for better understanding of the ocean’s biological processes before attempting to geoengineer climate solutions. It is natural in the face of an impending emergency to look for something—anything—that will avert the crisis. So it is understandable that in the absence of a…
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