Thu Jul 14, 2011
Floods cost Australia more than any other type of natural disaster, averaging hundreds of millions of dollars per year. We cannot stop floods from happening but there are many things that we can do to manage our flood risk and reduce the negative impact of floods. A new report, entitled Understanding Floods: Questions and Answers, [...]
Mon Jul 4, 2011
ONLINE NEWS BRIEFING – Mon 4 July at 12.00pm AEST Natural disasters are bad enough, but what happens when they topple our desalination plants or wipe out our power stations? The recent situation at the nuclear plant in Fukushima is just one example of what can happen. Governments, businesses and the public need to know [...]
Mon Jul 4, 2011
ONLINE NEWS BRIEFING – Mon 4 July at 10.30am AEST There seems to have been another natural disaster almost each week as recent earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions have impacted on millions of people around the world. Scientists continually monitor the globe for seismic ripples but are we actually getting any better at predicting where, [...]
Thu Jun 16, 2011
In the journal Nature this week, Japanese researchers provide evidence that Global Positioning Systems (GPS) could be used to assess the potential for future earthquakes in a given area. The data comes from the recent magnitude 9 earthquake that struck Japan in March.
Thu Mar 24, 2011
On March 24, 2011, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) announced a Holding Order on ‘foods of interest’ from four areas of Japan. This is not a ban, instead it means that all the relevant imports will be checked.
Wed Mar 23, 2011
For those of you still following the nuclear situation in Japan, please find comments compiled by our colleagues at the Science Media Centre of Japan. The SMCJ was able to translate the comments thanks to a grant from the Australia-Japan Foundation.
Mon Mar 21, 2011
The quotes and factsheets below were prepared by our colleagues at the UK Science Media Centre. You will find more on plume dispersal and radiation exposure risks for workers, as well as guides to nuclear reactors and radiation exposure.
Fri Mar 18, 2011
The following information was prepared by Dr John Price who is a former member of the Safety Policy Unit of the National Nuclear Corporation UK, a professor at Monash University, Australia and now a private consultant.