ภูเขาไฟ ที่กำลังปะทุ !!!!!!!!!!!

<table style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(245, 246, 244); " width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top" width="100%">2011-12-02 17:07:11 - Volcano Eruption - Taiwan

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</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top"><table width="100%" align="left" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " width="25%">EDIS Code:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">VE-20111202-33251-TWN</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Date&Time:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">2011-12-02 17:07:11 [UTC]</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Continent:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Asia</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Country:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Taiwan</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">State/Prov.:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">,</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Location:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Wandan mud dome,</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">City:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Not confirmed information!
</td></tr></tbody></table></td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " width="440" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top">Description:</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top">Wandan mud dome, one of Taiwan's 17 active mud volcanoes, erupted early Friday after nearly a year of inactivity, spilling mud flows of up to two meters high. Up to noon Friday, hot gray mud was still spewing from the volcano in Pingtung County and residents could be seen lighting fires nearby to burn off the gases emitted by the volcano. The mud flowing from three cracks in Hsinyuan Township spread to a public cemetery and a corn field but no other damage was reported. The eruption occurred south of Wandan Township, where the first eruption in the 1720s was recorded. The eruptions typically take place once or twice every year near the border between the two towns. There has not been an eruption in Hsinyuan itself for nearly half a century, according to residents.
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<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" valign="top" width="100%">2011-12-03 15:55:05 - Volcano Eruption - Italy

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</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> <table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td width="25%">EDIS Code:</td> <td>VE-20111203-33265-ITA</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Date&Time:</td> <td>2011-12-03 15:55:05 [UTC]</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Continent:</td> <td>Europe</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Country:</td> <td>Italy</td> </tr> <tr> <td>State/Prov.:</td> <td>Sicily, </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Location:</td> <td>Mount Etna Volcano, </td> </tr> <tr> <td>City:</td> <td>
</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> Not confirmed information!
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td align="right" width="440"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" valign="top"> Description: </td> </tr><tr> <td colspan="2" valign="top"> Etna erupted briefly this morning. A new, short-lived explosion and a small cloud of ash issuing from the new mouth of the volcano was recorded at 09.07 (CET). Only the tip of the volcano was involved and the eruption has subsided, without any repercussions on flights at Catania airport. Etna has had similar, sometimes powerful, episodes in recent months.
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</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right"> Posted:2011-12-03 15:55:05 [UTC]
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ภูเขาไฟในพม่าปะทุ

<table style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(245, 246, 244); " border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top" width="100%">2011-12-09 09:43:06 - Volcano Activity - Myanmar (Burma)

</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " width="100%">!!! WARNING !!!
</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " width="25%">EDIS Code:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">VA-20111209-33336-MMR</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Date&Time:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">2011-12-09 09:43:06 [UTC]</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Continent:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Asia</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Country:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Myanmar (Burma)</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">State/Prov.:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">State of Rakhine,</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Location:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Kyaukphyu Mud-volcano, Ramree Island,</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">City:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Not confirmed information!
</td></tr></tbody></table></td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " align="right" width="440"></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top">Description:</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top">An earthquake in Rakhine State has caused underground water temperatures to rise, <b>setting off volcano eruptions of mud and small amounts of lava.</strong> Retired geologist Soe Thein said volcanos in the Kyaukphyu Township area on Ramree Island were set off along a fault line. More volcano mud eruptions might occur, he said, but there is no danger or need for mass evacuations. “When there is earth crust movement in these fault lines, there will be underground water circulation and more water will move up to the surface as hot springs, but they are not like real volcanoes. They do not pose a danger to people,” Soe Thein said. The highest number of underground hot spring fault lines is in Kyaukphyu Township. The hot spring fault line runs through Magwe Region. A mud volcano erupted on November 26 on a small hill one mile west of Bawyabaya village, about 32 miles from Kyaukphyu. The eruption sent magma and lava 15-feet into the air, and about 5 acres of nearby land was covered by magma.

By evening, the eruptions had subsided, said local residents. Past eruptions in the area occurred in 1990 and 2000. On November 21, an earthquake occurred with an epicenter 32 kilometres northeast of Homlin in Sagaing Region measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale, Soe Thein said. It probably triggered the mud eruptions, he said. “The underground hot water in the fault line was pushed up to the surface and the eruptions took place,” he said. Two mud volcanoes in Sai Chong village east of Kyaukphyu erupted in January 2008. Lava and magma shot up to 300-feet high and a small amount of lava covered about 200 feet in the nearby area, the New Light of Myanmar reported on January 8. A similar volcano mud eruption took place near Sai Chong village in 2006, and an eruption in 1996 damaged more than 40 acres of farmland in the same area.
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<table style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(245, 246, 244); " border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top" width="100%">2011-12-09 06:17:53 - Volcano Eruption - Japan

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</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " width="25%">EDIS Code:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">VE-20111209-33334-JPN</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Date&Time:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">2011-12-09 06:17:53 [UTC]</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Continent:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Asia</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Country:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Japan</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">State/Prov.:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Kagoshima Prefecture,</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Location:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Mt. Sakurajima Volcano, Kyüshü,</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">City:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Not confirmed information!
</td></tr></tbody></table></td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " align="right" width="440"></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top">Description:</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top">Mt. Sakurajima, an active volcano in Kagoshima Prefecture, explosively erupted late Thursday for the 897th time this year, breaking its annual record for the third consecutive year, the local observatory said. The volcano has had a record number of explosive eruptions each year since 2009, when it erupted 548 times, beating the previous record of 474 set in 1985. In 2010, there were 896 eruptions. Observation of the volcano began in 1955. The latest eruption was observed at the 800-meter-high Showa crater, which has erupted 895 times this year. It has been a frequent site of activity since 2008, after erupting in June 2006 for the first time in 58 years. Iguchi Masato, associate professor at Kyoto University's Sakurajima Volcano Research Center, said the volcano could become extremely active in January or February, as eruptions since 2009 have tended to increase before New Year, and a new monthly record of 141 explosions was marked in September.
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USGS Top Story
The full story and photographs can be seen online.

100 Years of Volcano Monitoring in the United StatesThis year, the USGS is proud to celebrate 100 years of continuous volcano monitoring in the United States.
Monitoring began in 1912, when Thomas A. Jaggar, Jr., of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, founded theHawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) in the then U.S. territory of Hawai‘i.
The HVO became a permanent part of the USGS in 1947, and today the USGS Volcano Hazards Programmonitors volcanoes across the United States and helps monitor others around the world — watching for signs of unrest that can lead to hazardous conditions, learning more about volcanic processes and risks, and helping to make communities safer.
Living with Volcanoes in Hawai‘i
"Volcanoes are an important part of life on Hawai‘i Island, and all of us who live here must learn to live safely within the dynamics of an ever-changing volcanic environment," said Jim Kauahikaua, HVO’s Scientist-in-Charge. "Part of this celebration is recognizing the tremendous advances we've seen in the methods, tools, and technology used to study Hawaiian volcanoes and how that has helped lead to a remarkable increase in our understanding of how volcanoes work."
"The HVO helps ensure the safety and welfare of citizens of our island by forecasting potential destructive volcanic activity," said Quince Mento, former Administrator, Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency. "Without the HVO's dedicated staff our public safety agencies would not be able to mitigate loss of life and property in a timely fashion. We celebrate HVO's 100th anniversary and its continued role in protecting our island residents and advancing the science of volcanology."
Built by Lava
Lava first erupted above sea level more than 500,000 years ago to begin forming the Island of Hawai‘i. Since then, countless eruptions from its five volcanoes have built the "Big Island" to a towering height of more than 4,000 m (13,000 ft).
Hawai‘i's two most active volcanoes — Mauna Loa andKilauea — erupt lava frequently enough to pose a serious hazard to property on many parts of the island. About 40 percent of Mauna Loa, the most massive volcano on Earth, has been covered by lava in the past 1,000 years, and over 90 percent of Kilauea's surface is covered by lava less than 1,100 years old.
The current eruption of Kilauea has been ongoing since 1983, and HVO staff members have been dedicated to helping keep people safe. In 1990, for example, lava flows threatened the town of Kalapana. During this difficult period, HVO scientists provided detailed information 7 days a week on lava movement to the Hawai‘i County Civil Defense, which made decisions regarding evacuation, road closures, and safe vantage points for residents and visitors.
As land development expands toward areas of relatively high volcanic hazard, the threat to life and property on Hawai‘i will increase accordingly.
"Volcanic activity and its associated earthquakes are responsible for Hawai‘i's fertile soil, rainfall, isolated habitat for unique species, breathtaking natural beauty, but also, unfortunately, its geologic hazards," said Marcia McNutt, USGS Director.

USGS Mitigating Volcano Hazards around the World
The USGS Volcano Hazards Program monitors volcanoes across the United States and helps monitor others around the world for signs of unrest that can lead to hazardous conditions. The USGS and its partners also issue warnings of impending eruptions to help prevent loss of life and property.
The USGS now operates five volcano observatories monitoring volcanic activity throughout the United States and its territories:

• Alaska Volcano Observatory (Alaska and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands);
• Cascades Volcano Observatory (Idaho, Oregon and Washington);
• Long Valley Observatory (California and Nevada);
• Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming); and
• Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (Hawai‘i).

Each observatory provides regular updates of volcanic activity within its area of responsibility with updates becoming more frequent as activity escalates.In addition, the USGS provides long-term volcano hazard assessments for a growing number of volcanoes, provides public education materials about volcano hazards, and participates in emergency management exercises meant to assure public safety during times of volcanic crises.
A national assessment and plan for U.S. volcano monitoring, called the National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS), was proposed in 2005 to establish a proactive, fully integrated, national-scale monitoring effort that ensures the most threatening volcanoes in the United States are properly monitored in advance of the onset of unrest and at levels commensurate with the threats posed.
See Hawai‘i's Volcanoes Now
You can watch volcanoes in real time on USGS webcams throughout Hawai‘i.
Join USGS Celebratory Events in Hawai‘i
In celebration of its centennial milestone, the HVO is hosting events throughout the year, with most activities in January during Hawai‘i's Volcano Awareness Month. These public events will help promote awareness of Hawai‘i’s active volcanoes and the importance of understanding how volcanoes and earthquakes can impact island communities. Public programs and activities on Hawai‘i Island, held in cooperation with the National Park Service and the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, include island-wide talks by HVO scientists and guided hikes in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
A centennial open house will be held at HVO on Saturday, January 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
"The activities planned during Volcano Awareness Month are an engaging and stimulating way for residents and visitors alike to learn more about the fascinating processes that have formed and continue to shape these enormous volcanic features and how to live safely in the vicinity of such powerful geologic forces," said McNutt.
For more information about HVO Volcano Awareness Month programs and centennial events, please visit the HVO website, email askHVO@usgs.gov, or call (808) 967-8844.


Jessica Robertson
Public Affairs Specialist
U.S Geological Survey
703-648-6624jrobertson@usgs.gov

 

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After Fukushima, Fish Tales

Alex Roslin
The Montreal Gazette
Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:36 CST


© US Navy
An aerial view of debris floating in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Honshu in March.

After the world's worst nuclear accident in 25 years, authorities in Canada said people living here were safe and faced no health risks from the fallout from Fukushima.

They said most of the radiation from the crippled Japanese nuclear power plant would fall into the ocean, where it would be diluted and not pose any danger.

Dr. Dale Dewar wasn't convinced. Dewar, a family physician in Wynyard, Sask., doesn't eat a lot of seafood herself, but when her grandchildren come to visit, she carefully checks seafood labels.

She wants to make sure she isn't serving them anything that might come from the western Pacific Ocean.

Dewar, the executive director of Physicians for Global Survival, a Canadian anti-nuclear group, says the Canadian government has downplayed the radiation risks from Fukushima and is doing little to monitor them.

"We suspect we're going to see more cancers, decreased fetal viability, decreased fertility, increased metabolic defects - and we expect them to be generational," she said.

And evidence has emerged that the impacts of the disaster on the Pacific Ocean are worse than expected.

Since a tsunami and earthquake destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant last March, radioactive cesium has consistently been found in 60 to 80 per cent of Japanese fishing catches each month tested by Japan's Fisheries Agency.

In November, 65 per cent of the catches tested positive for cesium (a radioactive material created by nuclear reactors), according to a Gazette analysis of data on the fisheries agency's website. Cesium is a long-lived radionuclide that persists in the environment and increases the risk of cancer, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, which says the most common form of radioactive cesium has a half-life of 30 years.

© US Navy
An aerial view of debris floating in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Honshu in March.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which monitors food safety, says it is aware of the numbers but says the amounts of cesium detected are small.

"Approximately 60 per cent of fish have shown to have detectable levels of radionuclides," it said in an emailed statement.

"The majority of exported fish to Canada are caught much farther from the coast of Japan, and the Japanese testing has shown that these fish have not been contaminated with high levels of radionuclides."

But the Japanese data shows elevated levels of contamination in several seafood species that Japan has exported to Canada in recent years.

In November, 18 per cent of cod exceeded a new radiation ceiling for food to be implemented in Japan in April - along with 21 per cent of eel, 22 per cent of sole and 33 per cent of seaweed.

Overall, one in five of the 1,100 catches tested in November exceeded the new ceiling of 100 becquerels per kilogram. (Canada's ceiling for radiation in food is much higher: 1,000 becquerels per kilo.)

"I would probably be hesitant to eat a lot of those fish," said Nicholas Fisher, a marine sciences professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Fisher is researching how radiation from Fukushima is affecting the Pacific fishery. "There has been virtually zero monitoring and research on this," he said, calling on other governments to do more radiation tests on the ocean's marine life.

"Is it something we need to be terrified of? No. Is it something we need to monitor? Yes, particularly in coastal waters where concentrations are high."

Contamination of fish in the Pacific Ocean could have wide-ranging consequences for millions.

The Pacific is home to the world's largest fishery, which is in turn the main source of protein for about one billion people in Asia alone.

In October, a U.S. study - co-authored by oceanographer Ken Buesseler, a senior scientist at the non-profit Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass., - reported Fukushima caused history's biggest-ever release of radiation into the ocean - 10 to 100 times more than the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe.

© Christopher Pouget, Postmedia
Debris from Japan is washing up on Vancouver Island’s Long Beach.

"It's completely untrue to say this level of radiation is safe or harmless," said Gordon Edwards, president of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility.

Edwards, who is also a math professor at Vanier College, said Fukushima has highlighted how lackadaisical Canadian authorities are about radiation risks - the result, he says, of the influence of Canada's powerful nuclear industry.

"The reassurances have been completely irresponsible. To say there are no health concerns flies in the face of all scientific evidence," said Edwards, who has advised the federal auditor-general's office and Ontario government on nuclear-power issues.

Other Fukushima impacts have been unexpected, too. The first debris swept into the sea by the tsunami reportedly started to wash ashore on the west coast in mid-December, a year earlier than scientists and authorities predicted.

Residents of Vancouver Island, Alaska and the U.S. Pacific coast have said they've found large quantities of bottles, cans, lumber and floats.

The debris is part of 18 million tonnes of debris from Japan floating across the Pacific - taking up an area thought to be twice the size of Texas.

The impact of the debris on the Pacific is unclear. Much of it is expected to eventually join an already massive patch of existing garbage floating in the Pacific gyre.

The arrival of the debris on the west coast also appears to have caught Canadian authorities off guard.

"What debris are you talking about?" Health Canada spokesman Gary Holub asked when contacted for a comment this week.

"Debris from Japan is not expected on the west coast of Canada for another year."

He asked a reporter to email him media stories about the debris. Later, Holub emailed a statement saying "there has been no official confirmation that the source of this debris is from the tsunami in Japan."

He said, "It is 'highly unlikely' the debris will be radioactive and that Health Canada will await scientific data before deciding whether to test any of it."

It's also unclear how the debris will impact fish in the Pacific.

But there is a good chance Canadians have already eaten some of the types of fish most likely to be contaminated with cesium, based on the Japanese fisheries data.

Japan exported $76 million of food products to Canada in 2010, including $13 million of fish and crustaceans. No figures were available for 2011.

The Gazette analyzed the Japanese fisheries data for 22 seafood species that Japan has exported to Canada in recent years.

Some cesium was found in 16 of these 22 species in November, the last full month for which data was available.

Cesium was especially prevalent in certain of the species:

• 73 per cent of mackerel tested
• 91 per cent of the halibut
• 92 per cent of the sardines
• 93 per cent of the tuna and eel
• 94 per cent of the cod and anchovies
• 100 per cent of the carp, seaweed, shark and monkfish

Some of the fish were caught in Japanese coastal waters. Other catches were made hundreds of kilometres away in the open ocean.

There, the fish can also be caught by fishers from dozens of other nations that ply the waters of the Pacific.

Yet, Japan is the only country that appears to be systematically testing fish for radiation and publicly reporting the results.

© Christopher Pouget, Postmedia
More debris on Vancouver Island

CFIA is no longer doing any testing of its own. It did some radiation tests on food imports from areas of Japan around the stricken nuclear plant in the weeks after the Fukushima accident.

Only one of the 169 tested products showed any radiation. CFIA stopped doing the tests last June, saying they weren't needed.

"The quantities of radioactive material reaching Canada are very small and within normal ranges," CFIA spokesperson Lisa Gauthier said in an emailed statement.

"They do not pose any health risk to Canadians, the food we eat or the plants and animals in Canada."

In August, CFIA also tested a dozen samples of fish caught in B.C. coastal and inland waters. None of those tests found any radiation.

CFIA said it has no plans to do any other radiation tests on fish in the Pacific or imports from other nations that fish in the ocean, including Japan.

CFIA now relies on Japanese authorities to screen Japanese food exported to Canada.

But Japan's monitoring of food has come under a storm of criticism from the Japanese public after food contaminated with radiation was sold to consumers.

A Canadian seafood industry official was surprised when told CFIA doesn't plan any more tests of Pacific fish.

"It is certainly our expectation that the CFIA will test again this year," said Christina Burridge, executive director of the B.C. Seafood Alliance.

The alliance is an umbrella of Pacific seafood harvesting associations whose member firms generate about $700 million in yearly revenues.

Burridge said CFIA promised her group last spring it would test Pacific salmon and tuna returning to B.C. fishing grounds in 2012 and 2013 because of the possibility those fish could have migrated close to Japan.

"We all agreed that if there was any risk of contamination, it would be in 2012 and 2013," she said.

She wouldn't comment on the Japanese fisheries data, which she hadn't seen previously. But she said of the data: "It would reinforce our expectation that the CFIA would test this year.

"We want to be able to assure our customers that our expectation that there will be no increase in detectable levels (of radiation) is true," she said.

She said she based this expectation on "a general belief that contamination will be limited to the coastal waters off Japan."

But despite this belief and the importance of the Pacific fishery, few studies exist on how Fukushima affected marine life.

One of those studies found that fish and crustaceans caught in the vicinity of Fukushima in late March had 10,000 times more than so-called safe levels of radiation. The study, published last May in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, also said macroalgae had 19,000 times the safe level.

Those levels were measured before the Japanese utility that runs the crippled nuclear plant dumped 11,000 tonnes of radioactive water into the Pacific in April and additional leaks that have released hundreds of tonnes more.

But since that early study, little research has been published on the topic.

"People want to know what's happening with the cesium and how much is in the fish, but we don't know. It's frustrating," said oceanographer Buesseler.

"It's disconcerting how big of an event Fukushima was and how little data are out there. No one has taken responsibility for studying this in a single agency (in the U.S.), even though we also have reactors on the coast and other events could happen," he said.

SUNY's Fisher agrees: "In the U.S., it's very difficult to acquire funding to do that work. A lot of people are very frustrated. Funding agencies are already spread incredibly thin, and they were not prepared for this," he said.

After governments refused to provide funds, Buesseler, Fisher and other scientists secured funds from a private foundation for a research voyage in the Pacific to gather radiation data on fish, plankton and water.

Fisher can't discuss his findings because they aren't published yet. He expects to send them for publication in coming weeks.

Buesseler has already reported some results from the 15-day cruise last May and June.

He co-authored the study in October that said cesium levels in the Pacific had gone up an astonishing 45 million times above pre-accident levels. The levels then declined rapidly for a while, but after that, they unexpectedly levelled off.

In July, cesium levels stopped declining and remained stuck at 10,000 times above pre-accident levels.

It meant the ocean wasn't diluting the radiation as expected. If it had been, cesium levels would have kept falling. The finding suggested radiation was still being released into the ocean long after the accident in March, Buesseler said in an interview.

"It implies the groundwater is contaminated or the facility is still leaking radiation."

The Japanese fisheries data seems to support this conclusion. Far from declining, contamination levels in some species were flat or even rose last fall, including species that Japan exports to Canada like skipjack tuna, cod, sole and eel.

In November, the average Japanese catch had 111 becquerels of cesium per kilogram - above the new radiation ceiling of 100 becquerels per kilo that Japan has announced it will implement for food this spring.

The November level declined from a peak level of 373 becquerels per kilo last April. But it was an increase from the October average of 78 becquerels per kilo.

Such persistently elevated levels of radiation warrant more monitoring and research, Fisher said. "It's not something we can easily dismiss."

Continuing radiation leaks from Fukushima could be to blame, he said. Another culprit, he said, may be a phenomenon called biomagnification - the tendency for radiation concentrations to increase in species that are farther up the food chain.

About 2.7 per cent of the fish catches also exceeded Japan's existing ceiling for food of 500 becquerels per kilo. That was also up from one per cent in October.

In November, 0.8 per cent of Japanese catches exceeded Canada's ceiling of 1,000 becquerels per kilo, up from 0.2 per cent in October.

But food with radiation below these limits can still pose health risks, Edwards believes. "There is no safe level of radiation. They should be making every effort to monitor food."

 

Mt. Etna Erupts


MSNBC Video
Sat, 07 Jan 2012 12:00 CST

You're looking at the first eruption of the New Year for Europe's biggest and most active Volcano Mt. Aetna in Sicily. Today there was an impressive-looking ash plume in the sky.

 

Columbia: Increased Activity Reported at Cerro Machin Volcano


La Tarde
Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:04 CST


© La Tarde


This was confirmed by the Colombian Geological Survey, which indicated that in the last week Cerro Machin volcano seismicity continued to show volcano-tectonic type, which is associated with rock fracturing within the volcanic edifice.

It features a slight increase in seismic activity on January 15 between 3:30 and 4:30 local time. These seismic events were located in the main dome and the south-east of it, at depths ranging between 2 and 12 km.

The earthquake of greatest magnitude during the week was 0.73 on the Richter scale, which corresponds to an event recorded on 15 January at 3:21 pm (Local Time). Other parameters monitored, as the volcanic deformation and geochemistry have not undergone significant changes.

The Colombian Geological Survey continues monitoring the evolution of volcanic phenomena in a timely manner and report changes that may occur.

 

Ref.no.: VA-20120119-33842-CRI

Situation Update No. 1
On 2012-01-20 at 04:10:53 [UTC]

Event: Volcano Activity
Location: Costa Rica Cordillera Central Turrialba Volcano
Situation:

Turrialba volcano is acting up lately, according to the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (Ovsicori). On Wednesday, a little before 3 p.m., the volcano jettisoned water vapor, ash and gas into the air. Nearby residents reported seeing towering clouds that showered ash on several communities, according to an Ovsicori report. An Ovsicori pilot flying over the area confirmed that a cloud reaching between 14,000 and 20,000 feet in altitude emanated from the same area that saw an eruption of ash and gas on January 12. A report issued by the observatory after that eruption indicated a new fumarole formed on the southeast flank of the volcano’s crater during the eruption, but noted that the danger of a major eruption was small. The observatory report said Wednesday’s rumblings were stronger and threw more ash and gas into the atmosphere than the one on the 12th. A group of volcanologists is working near the crater of Turrialba, Ovsicori said, monitoring the activity.

 

<table style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(245, 246, 244); " border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top" width="100%">2012-01-27 03:48:41 - Volcano Activity - USA

</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " width="100%">
</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" width="100%" align="left"><tbody><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " width="25%">EDIS Code:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">VA-20120127-33928-USA</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Date&Time:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">2012-01-27 03:48:41 [UTC]</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Continent:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">North-America</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Country:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">USA</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">State/Prov.:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">State of Hawaii,</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Location:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Halemaumau Crater, Kiluea Volcano,</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">City:</td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; ">Not confirmed information!
</td></tr></tbody></table></td><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " width="440" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top">Description:</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top">The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has released video showing lava splattering in Halemaumau Crater. Scientists say the video shows, "vigorous spattering along the south margin of the Halemaumau lava lake." The lava level is estimated to be around 260 feet below the floor of Halemaumau Crater. The overall activity at Kilauea was slightly elevated and inflation and the summit lava lake rise continued. Overall seismic tremor levels were low and gas emissions were elevated. Scientists say there is no lava surface flow on the pali or coastal plain and no lava is flowing into the ocean.
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " valign="top">
</td></tr><tr><td style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; " align="right">
</td></tr></tbody></table>

 

ภูเขาไฟในคอสตาริก้า ปะทุเถ้าถ่านสูงไปถึง 15,000 ฟุต

Ref.no.: VA-20120119-33842-CRI

Situation Update No. 2
On 2012-01-27 at 04:07:25 [UTC]

Event: Volcano Activity
Location: Costa Rica Cordillera Central Turrialba Volcano
Situation:Costa Rica’s Turrialba volcano produced a burst of activity that shot water, vapor and ash more than 15,000 feet into the air. Nearby residents reported that ash from the blast showered several communities. The mountain’s volcano observatory said that a new fissure broke open on the southeastern flank of the crater during the eruption. Turrialba last produced an eruption in 1866, which sent ash falling as far away as Nicaragua, according to historical records. The mountain has become increasingly active since it began to rumble again in January 2001. In January 2010, it spewed ash with such force that two nearby villages, La Central and El Retiro, were evacuated briefly.

 

US: As if Death Valley wasn't dangerous enough... geologists discover that one of its volcanoes is due to go off

Ted Thornhill
Dailymail.co.uk
Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:39 CST



Death Valley in California has plenty of hazards, ranging from searing temperatures to flash floods, rock falls, rattlesnakes and scorpions.

Now geologists say that one of its volcanoes is actually far younger and more active than previously thought and is due to go off, because it last exploded in 1200 and has an eruption cycle of 1,000 years or less.

A team based at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory found that the half-mile-wide Ubehebe Crater, formed by a prehistoric volcanic explosion, was created just 800 years ago - and not 6,000 years ago as previously estimated.
© Brent Goehring / Lamont--Doherty Earth Observatory
Explosive: The half-mile-wide Ubehebe Crater in Death Valley