Fukushima vs. Chernobyl: How Have Animals Fared? July 12 New York Times by Rachel Nuwer http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/12/fukushima-vs-chernobyl-how-have-animals-fared/?src=recg
Majia Here: This article examines a study published in the journal Ecological Indicators http://www.journals.elsevier.com/ecological-indicators/ of a wide array of insects and birds in Fukushima and Chernobyl. They incorporated variables such as rainfall and soil type into their analysis.
[Excerpt] 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.
...In Fukushima, animals have only cycled through a few generations at most
since the disaster, so any mutations have probably not begun to manifest
themselves. For short-lived species like insects, however, mutations could soon
start to appear....
[Dr Mousseau] “Over all, it’s a myth to suggest that animal abundances are higher in the
Chernobyl exclusion zones,”
[In Chernobyl] Dr. Mousseau said. “We’re looking at hundreds of years before many of the
forested areas get better.”
The summer nights are silent. No crickets chirping at night in Central CA. Lot's of spiders.
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