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Remember Kenny Boy Buesseler?
Yes, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego has been involved in monitoring oceanic radiation levels following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. While Scripps did not lead the primary radiation monitoring efforts, it collaborated with other institutions to study the dispersion of radioactive materials in the Pacific Ocean.
Scripps’ Involvement in Fukushima Radiation Monitoring
Collaborative Research Cruises: In June 2011, researchers from Scripps participated in an international research cruise led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The team collected water samples and studied ocean currents to assess the spread of radioactive isotopes from Fukushima. Melissa Miller from Scripps was among the scientists retrieving samples during this expedition.
Phys.org
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Maritime Executive
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Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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Atmospheric Monitoring: Researchers at Scripps also monitored atmospheric radiation levels. In March 2011, they detected a spike in radioactive sulfur in the air over La Jolla, California, which was attributed to emissions from the Fukushima plant. This finding provided insights into the amount of radiation released into the atmosphere during the disaster.
EarthSky
Funding and Support
It’s important to note that much of the oceanic radiation monitoring post-Fukushima was not funded by U.S. federal agencies. Instead, researchers relied on alternative funding sources:
Crowd-Funded Citizen Science: Ken Buesseler of WHOI initiated a crowd-funded program called “Our Radioactive Ocean,” engaging the public in collecting seawater samples along the West Coast and Hawaii. This initiative filled the gap left by the absence of federal funding for coastal radiation monitoring.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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Private Foundation Grants: Buesseler also secured a $4 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to support research cruises and analyses related to Fukushima radiation.
Council on Foundations
Summary
While the Scripps Institution of Oceanography was not the primary organization leading Fukushima radiation monitoring, it played a collaborative role in research efforts to understand the dispersion of radioactive materials in the Pacific Ocean. These efforts were largely supported by private funding and citizen science initiatives due to the lack of federal funding for such monitoring activities.