9 Mar 2012

CTBTO / FUKUSHIMA RADIOACTIVE EMISSIONS

An animation showing how radioactive emissions spread from the Fukushima Daiiichi Nuclear Power Plant has been released by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) on the eve of the one year anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on 11 March 2011. CTBTO

Posted at: March 9, 2012 2:30 pm

Duration: 03:04

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: CTBTO/ RADIOACTIVE EMISSIONS
TRT: 3:04
SOURCE: CTBTO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE:  8 MARCH 2012 VIENNA, AUSTRIA / RECENT / FILE

SHOTLIST:

GOOGLE GRAPH – 8 MARCH 2012

1. Various shots, animation showing how radioactive emissions from the Fukushima Daiiichi Nuclear Power Plant spread globally

FILE - NOVEMBER 2011, VIENNA, AUSTRIA

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Mika Nikkinen, Head, Scientific Methods, Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO):
"We always have to stress that the detection levels we saw are not harmful for human beings, as our detection capability is at least one billion times lower than the level that is harmful to human beings."

FILE - SEPTEMBER CTBT MONITORING STATION RN38, TAKASAKI, JAPAN

3. Close up, sign of CTBT Monitoring Station RN38, Takasaki, Japan
4. Wide shot, exterior, Takasaki station.
5. Various shots, workers and equipment at Takasaki station. 
6. Med shot, Masahiro Kumata Operations Manager of CTBT monitoring station
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Masahiro Kumata, Operations Manager CTBT monitoring station:
"We saw quite unusual scenery on this window. The window became almost red, both sample and background. That means that quite a huge amount of radioactive Xenon is inside the sample and background."
8. Med shot, Kumata looking at monitor
9. Close up, data on the monitor

FILE - NOVEMBER 2011, VIENNA, AUSTRIA

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Spiro Spiliopoulos, Chief, Monitoring and Data Analysis, Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO):
"In the seconds and minutes after that earthquake, the acoustic energy or the elastic energy from the earthquake spread around the world and was picked up and recorded by all the IMS stations, importantly the seismic and the hydroacoustic stations. The data from those stations is transmitted to here in Vienna and then it is transmitted immediately from Vienna out to the tsunami warning centres, where they can use the data for their tsunami warning purposes."

FILE - SEPTEMBER 2011, EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI OBSERVATIONS DIVISION, JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY, TOKYO, JAPAN

11. Close up, waveforms displayed at the operations room of the Earthquake and Tsunami Observations Division
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Takeshi Koizumi, Senior Coordinator for International Earthquake and Tsunami Information: 
"The IMS data is maintained by the PTS at CTBTO and it's a kind of very well maintained and a guaranteed data, and the transmission time is very fast.  So it's one of the most reliable data."
13. Wide shot, people working at desks in the operations room 
14. Various shots, workers looking at monitors as aftershocks are registered

STORYLINE:

An animation showing how radioactive emissions spread from the Fukushima Daiiichi Nuclear Power Plant has been released by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), on the eve of the one year anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on 11 March 2011.

The animation is based on radionuclide data from the 1600 detections recorded by over 40 CTBTO radionuclide monitoring stations, mainly in the northern hemisphere.  It tracks the dispersal for about a one month period.

The CTBO's monitoring system is designed to detect nuclear explosions anywhere, anytime. It is so sensitive it can pick up the smallest seismic event and trace the dispersal of miniscule amounts of radioactive substances, at levels of at least one billion times lower than those harmful to humans.

Mika Nikkinen, Head, CTBTO, Scientific Methods, said "we always have to stress that the detection levels we saw are not harmful for human beings, as our detection capability is at least one billion times lower than the level that is harmful to human beings."

When Japan was struck by a chain of devastating events – earthquake, tsunami and a nuclear accident – CTBTO's monitoring stations around the world recorded and tracked the unfolding crisis, and kept authorities informed.

During the Fukushima crisis, some 1200 institutions, including public health authorities had access to CTBTO data in real time.

In the days and weeks that followed, CTBTO's global warning system underlined its importance for disaster prevention and mitigation.

***MORE INFO ON ANIMATION*****
The animation starts at the Takasaki station in Japan.  It was the first of the CTBTO's stations to detect the release from the crippled nuclear power plant on 12 March, around 200 km away from the troubled plant. The dispersion of the radioactive isotopes could then be followed to eastern Russia on 15 March and to the west coast of the United States two days later. Nine days after the accident, the spread of miniscule amounts of radioactive substances had crossed Northern America. By day 15, traces from the accident in Fukushima were detectable all across the northern hemisphere.  For the first four weeks, the radioactive materials remained confined to the northern hemisphere, with the equator initially acting as a dividing line between the northern and southern air masses. As of 13 April, it had spread to the southern hemisphere of the Asia-Pacific region and had been detected at stations located for example in Fiji and Papua New Guinea. The purple diamonds in the animation represent radionuclide stations.