Published: July 12th, 2012 at 1:07 pm ET
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Fukushima vs. Chernobyl: How Have Animals Fared?
New York Times
By RACHEL NUWER
July 12, 2012, 9:58 am
For their study, published in the journal Ecological Indicators, [Dr. Timothy Mousseau, a biologist at the University of South Carolina at Columbia, and colleagues] conducted 1,198 censuses of spiders, grasshoppers, dragonflies, butterflies, bumblebees, cicadas and birds in Chernobyl and Fukushima.[...]
In Fukushima, they found that the abundance of birds, butterflies and cicadas had decreased significantly as the level of radiation increased. Bumblebees, dragonflies and grasshoppers were not affected by the release of radioactive materials, however. Surprisingly, spiders actually increased in abundance with the rise in radiation.
Dr. Mousseau speculates that perhaps the insect prey that spiders normally feed on are weaker and easier to catch in the radioactive zones, and that spiders are possibly not particularly sensitive to the immediate contaminants. He predicts that over the long term, the spiders, bees, dragonflies and grasshoppers will eventually begin to drop off.
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Published: July 12th, 2012 at 1:07 pm ET
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sending...
As radiation continues to spread thousands of miles.
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"… will eventually begin to drop off."
See, that's the #1 clue right there. Eventually, things begin to die from the radiation. Populations decline and species drop off.
Of course humans aren't a population OR a species therefore we're fine… YES?
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I believe my username says it all, and we're next!
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Is there anybody else that has find there are less flies and other insects this year?
My friend reports that he also has less bees in his bee-houses.
The birds has been starving and hungry begging for food still in June and even now in July. Normally they don't pay any tension to food that I present them after April.
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Urban27 – I've been noticing the same here in Massachusetts, USA. Just my own observation, I have no scientific measurement to substantiate this. But to my eyes it's been a very un-buggy year so far in my garden compared to all previous years and despite ample rain. I'm hoping someone with the right skill-set is analyzing this and will publish.
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"He predicts that over the long term, the spiders, bees, dragonflies and grasshoppers will eventually begin to drop off."
Should we add children, men & women to the list?
Yes Urban, not so many Mosquitoes this spring/summer. Can't understand it. I'm in Yamaguchi, south and west. Don't think it's from radiation though, here anyway.
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I noticed a significant drop off of birds at Fuku starting in May 2012 and by the first week of June 2012 the count had went down to virtually ZERO. (I watch the TEPCO Web Cam almost every morning for about 10 minutes.)
Lots of Birds:
Here's what the bird count from Fuku looked like just one year ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ad-AOIZJZI&feature=related
(Watch for just about 30 seconds and you'll see, they looked healthy then.)
I also think it is of note, after reviewing this old video, how much WORSE the overall vaporous emissions are now. The "spewing" appears to be far more visually prevalent.
It's been 16 months and 1 day since 3/11. (489 days)
The bird count today after several minutes. =ZERO (again)
Sometimes a lone bird or a migrating flock will fly by, but that's all I see.
I saw this not so healthy lone bird walk into the scene and then walk out through the bushes. Probably to die. That was June 7th, 2012.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2099954/FukuBird001.jpg
(The bird is just below center.)
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Yes, here's one of Nuck's famous crow videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbWimk6-jGA&feature=related
Notice the crow eating a dead fish at 37 seconds in. I think that is what killed the crows. Highly contaminated dead fish from the shoreline of Fukushima Daiichi.
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