NSW:Mid-Pacific search for Japan nuclear water

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-2011
NSW:Mid-Pacific search for Japan nuclear water

SYDNEY, April 7 AAP - Scientists on board a Spanish research ship will look in the
central Pacific Ocean for traces of radioactivity from Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear
plant.

The Malaspina Expedition, which arrived in Sydney last week, has completed half of
a world tour to assess the impact of "global change" on the ocean's ecosystem.

Professor Carlos Duarte, who is leading the expedition, said searching for radioactivity
was not part of the original plan for the seven-month trip.

But the Japanese nuclear plant was still releasing significant amounts of radioisotopes
and it made sense to track it.

"We are going to add an element of research to the south and north track along the
Pacific that was obviously not planned when we departed," Prof Duarte told reporters aboard
the research ship Hesperides on Thursday.

"We will monitor and assess the extent of contamination by radioisotopes in the central
Pacific Ocean."

The Fukushima nuclear reactors in northern Japan were damaged by the earthquake and
tsunami which hit the country on March 11.

Radioactivity of seawater near the Fukushima nuclear power plant reportedly reached
7.5 million times the legal limit last weekend.

"Nobody is (currently) looking at the central Pacific (for radioactivity) and this
type of expedition is very cumbersome logistically to plan," Prof Duarte said.

"The fact that we are at sea just now provides an opportunity to do this and share
the results with our colleagues."

The Hesperides, a vessel of the Spanish Navy, will leave Sydney on Friday and sail
first to Auckland.

AAP lxs/wjf/psm/

KEYWORD: MALASPINA (PIX AVAILABLE)

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