After the first earthquake in Japan, people were left in turmoil as they watched an episode of mass destruction. But that was not the end of it. It has been reported that up until yesterday, there have been at least 400 aftershocks in Northeastern Japan since that first earthquake, and all of them had a magnitude of at least 5.0. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, this ridiculously high amount of earthquake activity typically would take place over the course of two and a half years. Then again, it’s not too surprising considering that Japan is located above four colliding tectonic plates. In addition to all the physical damage these earthquakes are causing are the psychological effects that have occurred. Doctors have reported a high number of patients who are complaining of dizziness and of “swaying” back and forth; they seem to be victims of something called “phantom quakes.” In other words, they imagine that an earthquake is happening as a result of the fear they developed. The worst part of all though, is the danger that revolves around the nuclear power plants. With every new earthquake, a new wave of radiation can be released from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Hidehiko Nishiyama, the director of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, has stated that three measures are being taken to avoid a nuclear disaster. By interconnecting the plant’s external power lines in order to ensure proper flow of electricity, stationing a generator at the plant site on a small hill, and preparing a fire pumper engine on the hill in case the electricity is interrupted, he stated that the possibility of a disaster is much lower
I chose this article not only because I thought this topic was important to the world today, but also because it is interesting to learn about the science behind this whole situation. With science, researchers can use the information they are learning every day to solve the problem and prevent it from occurring again (or rather learn how to mitigate the effects if it does happen again). It seems like a situation where the importance of “under pressure” science really makes a difference.
I though the authors did a good job with this article. I like how they used a lot of different sources for their information and didn’t stay constrained with one specific source. However, I thought that the article kind of skipped from topic to topic very abruptly and didn’t elaborate enough on one specific aspect of the earthquakes. Other than that though, this article was quite informative.
Pollack, Andrew, and Keith Bradsher. "In Japan, Aftershocks Are Also Felt From Within." New York Times. 13 Apr. 2011. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.
Chara picked a great article to write about, because it is so important to the world today. Especially since everyone knows about what is going on, but not necessarily why it is happening. Chara explained why there have been so many aftershocks and what is being done to prevent more disaster from the nuclear power plants. I think her explanations were very simple and understandable, making the science behind the disaster clear to people who don’t know much about it. Also, her review was interesting to read, because she discussed a bunch of different aspects about what’s going on in Japan. Therefore, it never got boring.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, the review was not boring, it would have been more informative if she had gone into more detail about one subject. It was nice to get an overview, but if she had then narrowed it down and talked specifically about one thing, I would have gotten much more out of it. Also, I would have liked her to go more into depth about “under pressure” science. I got the gist of what she was saying, but it would have been helpful if she had elaborated on it.
I learned a lot from this article. I did not know that Japan sits on top of the intersection of three tectonic plates. I found it very interesting to learn about the aftershock in Japan as well. It is amazing that so many aftershocks have occurred over such a short period of time.
I really enjoyed Chara’s review on the effects of the devastating earthquake in Japan. One of the best aspects to the review was her concise summary. She took the most rewarding pieces from the article and included them in her summary, keeping it from being long-winded. Additionally, it was very straightforward and easy for someone not fluent in “earthquake language” to understand. The explanations she provided really bolstered her review. Finally, I enjoyed the fact that she included the scientists from the article and their findings in the synopsis; adding specific pieces from the article makes a summary that much better.
ReplyDeleteWhile I thoroughly enjoyed reading Chara’s review, there are a couple of things she could have added to make it stronger. For instance, it might have been nice for her to include if any other devastating earthquakes have hit Japan in the past. Finally, the review would have benefitted if Chara explained how Japan would be able to rebuild the country. Or, she could have included how other countries have dealt with similar disasters, and possibly compared the disaster in Japan to such.
Overall, I really enjoyed this review as it was such an appropriate topic to choose. The catastrophe in Japan has been all over the news for the past few weeks, so it was nice to get an overview of everything going on there.
I really liked Chara’s topic and summary because of how important it is. The situation in Japan in international, however, I though that this summary was very helpful in gaining what has happened to the Japanese people since this awful disaster. I thought that Chara also did a great job a getting straight to the point. It made the review easy and quick to read, while still being informative. Finally, I liked that she provided a background as to why these aftershocks are still happening in Japan, due to its location above four major plates.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Chara’s summary of the article was excellent, there is room for improvement. I liked that she got straight to the point; however, I didn’t like how it skipped around covering so many different topics in one short paragraph. I would have liked to see some more information on each topic. Also, as Chara said, because of Japan’s location it must have dealt with many earthquakes in the past; I would like to know how this one compares to those.
This article taught me a lot about the aftershock in Japan. After hearing so much about the earthquake in February, the chattered seemed to have died down, so it was very interesting here about what is currently happening.
Overall, I thought that Chara did a great job with this review. Specifically, I thought she did a great job explaining why this article is so important to the world today. With all the turmoil that is currently going on in Japan, I think that it is crucial for us to keep updated on what is going on and if there is anything that we can do to help. Second, Chara thoroughly explained all of the new terms that she used, such as "phantom quakes" and insured that all the information she was presented was done so in a clear and concise manner. Finally, I enjoyed that she included findings from scientists in Japan, which validated the information she was writing about.
ReplyDeleteIf Chara had to improve her review in some way, one thing that I would suggest would be to include more facts and statistics. I am sure that there are very shocking statistics about the destruction that is occurring in Japan and if someone had not been updating themselves on these events, the inclusion of statistics would create an exponentially greater effect on the reader. A second thing that Chara could improve on is to make some con-gestures of her own by suggesting some possible ways that the situation could be improved scientifically or socially through aid and service.
The most interesting thing that I learned from Chara's review was that Japan is attempting to interconnect the external power lines. I will definitely be following up on this specific attempt to restore safety to Japan, as well as all other news and efforts concerning the area.
Chara did a great job with her critique of this article for three main reasons. The first thing that she did well was that she did a great job in explaining how this article is important to the world today. It is very important for everyone to be informed about major current events, such as this one. The second thing that she did well is that she explained what is happening to the people that were affected by the earthquake. I found it very interesting to learn about what is happening to these people. Finally, she did a good job with citing what person or organization gave this information originally because it proved that this information is qualified.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that Chara could have added to improve upon her critique was a brief history of earthquakes in Japan, which would provide a lot of background info. Another thing that she could have improved upon would be to expand upon some of the facts she stated. Instead of just merely stating them, she should have explained why they are important, as well.
One thing that I was particularly impressed by after reading this review was the fact that there have been around 400 aftershocks since the huge 9.0 earthquake. I find that number surprisingly high and I would have never expected that 400 aftershocks would occur after an earthquake.
This was a very interesting and relevant article to talk about in the scientific and modern world. Because it is so important in respect to the all aspects of the world, it is immediately interesting to learn and read about. To some extent everyone is aware of the situation in this oceanic region, however not all peoples are certain about its origins and why it is truly occurring. The review clearly explained the origins of the multiple aftershocks and the countermeasures that are being met to forgo any more disaster from the nuclear power plants. These explanations were simplistic and more than anything understandable. This fashions the science in the background of the disaster into a clearer image for its readers trying to learn more about the situation in Japan. The review which discusses a numerous amount of different aspects to the earthquakes and consequences, it was overall very interesting to follow along from the reader’s perspective. More than anything it never really lost my interest. There is always room however for some more information if she had gone into more detail about one specific subject. It was easier to get a summary, but if she had then concentrated and specifically talked about one aspect, it may have been even more beneficial. Also the topic of under pressure science may have required a slight more in deftness to completely part into the reader. An elaboration may have been better to get more out of the article although for the most part I was able to obtain much of the information that she was trying to convey. I did not know that Japan sat on top of the intersection of three tectonic plates. The aftershocks were as well fascinating events and instances. It is an incredible thought that so many devastating aftershocks happened in such rapid succession, causing an extremely catastrophic world event.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting and relevant article to talk about in the scientific and modern world. Because it is so important in respect to the all aspects of the world, it is immediately interesting to learn and read about. To some extent everyone is aware of the situation in this oceanic region, however not all peoples are certain about its origins and why it is truly occurring. The review clearly explained the origins of the multiple aftershocks and the countermeasures that are being met to forgo any more disaster from the nuclear power plants. These explanations were simplistic and more than anything understandable. This fashions the science in the background of the disaster into a clearer image for its readers trying to learn more about the situation in Japan. The review which discusses a numerous amount of different aspects to the earthquakes and consequences, it was overall very interesting to follow along from the reader’s perspective. More than anything it never really lost my interest. There is always room however for some more information if she had gone into more detail about one specific subject. It was easier to get a summary, but if she had then concentrated and specifically talked about one aspect, it may have been even more beneficial. Also the topic of under pressure science may have required a slight more in deftness to completely part into the reader. An elaboration may have been better to get more out of the article although for the most part I was able to obtain much of the information that she was trying to convey. I did not know that Japan sat on top of the intersection of three tectonic plates. The aftershocks were as well fascinating events and instances. It is an incredible thought that so many devastating aftershocks happened in such rapid succession, causing an extremely catastrophic world event.
ReplyDelete