After a destructive tsunami swept through Japan, researchers have been taking a closer look at how the wave managed to be so damaging. They have come to the conclusion that the concrete seawalls lined up along Japan’s coastline served as little or no protection. The walls were built in order to protect the country against high waves, typhoons, and even tsunamis. The risks of dependence on seawalls were most evident in the crisis at the Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants, both located along the coast close to the earthquake zone. The tsunami that followed the quake washed over walls that were supposed to protect the plants, disabling the diesel generators crucial to maintaining power for the reactors’ cooling systems during shutdown. Japan has built rigorous building codes that are resistant to earth quakes. Unlike the sea walls, this actually helped them a lot. Without these buildings, the death toll would have been a lot higher. The total devastation in coastal areas and a final death toll predicted to exceed 10,000 could push Japan to redesign its seawalls. They say that the sea walls should have been built higher or the generators should have been placed on high ground to withstand potential flooding.
This article was very important because it is important to understand what is going on in the world. Knowing the science and problems behind it is even more important.
posted for E. Kimak
posted for E. Kimak
3 comments:
1. I liked how she gave good supporting details but kept the review short and concise.
2. I liked how she explained how the building codes that Japan has to protect against earthquakes saved many peoples lives.
3. I like how she explained why this article and information is of importance to us.
1. I thought the review could have been longer.
2. She could have given more details as to why the seawalls were such a failure and what Japan can do in the future to avoid such destruction.
1. One thing I learned was that Japan has seawalls and special building structures to avoid these natural disasters. I did not know that they had these aspects in the architecture.
Hundreds of news reports have focused on Japan this week due to the tsunami that destroyed thousands of houses. Researchers have concluded that Japan’s seawalls had no way of stopping the giant waves. I appreciated the details in this review that made the review clearer. I also thought it was interesting that Japan had built seawalls to protect against giant waves, even though they were rendered useless. I also liked learning that the nuclear power plants were near the shoreline, making the current nuclear emergency even more likely to occur.
I think that the review of the article was very short. This review could have been improved had it been longer. I also would have liked more details as to why the seawalls did not work, but the earthquake resistant homes did.
This article is very important, because the destruction in Japan affects us all. The earthquake, tsunami, and potential nuclear meltdown could lead to a catastrophe that affects the entire world. I hope to hear more on this story as it progresses.
This review was detailed, explanatory, and helpful in understanding the recent tragedies in Japan. The first paragraph of the article details the level of damage done by the earthquake, tsunami, and eventually the melt down of the generators. The article includes reasons as to why this happened, noting the sea walls as a main point of weakness in Japan's defense against such natural disasters. The article also includes what Japan is considering doing in the future to prevent disasters of such magnitude from re-inflicting such damage.
Though the beginning of the review was very thorough and well written, the overall review was very short. It may have helped to include more details as to why it is important Japan redesign sea walls, or what the Japanese are presently for the thousands of displaced residents. She also could have gone into more detail as to what people around the world could learn from the recent events in Japan.
I was surprised to find that the weakest sea walls were around the areas of the nuclear reactors. It seems like poor planning to place a nuclear plant on a fault line that is within a tsunami's reach, but then again-- a tsunami of such proportions was not expected.
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