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SMC Heads-Up: Explosion science, climate change film, eels
SMC Heads-Up: Explosion science, climate change film debut
and endangered eels
Issue 227
19-25 April 2013
Quick
Links
Science of West Texas explosion
A shattering explosion at a US fertiliser plant, levelling buildings and injuring more than 160 people, captured headlines overnight.
In response to early media reports of damage, several Australian scientists came forward to offer analysis of possible causes of the blast. Director of the Centre of Expertise in Energetic Material at Flinders University, Assoc Prof Stewart Walker told the Australian Science Media Centre:
"Ammonia, a simple gas with nitrogen and hydrogen atoms, is used to make the solid ammonium nitrate fertilizer. Neither ammonia nor ammonium nitrate are explosive. However ammonium nitrate mixed with fuel oil (called ANFO) is widely used in the mining industry and has been the cause of some accidental, and some deliberate, explosions.
"As details come to light there is the suggestion that storage tanks of anhydrous ammonium may have exploded. Anhydrous means it is dry - has no water - and the contact of anhydrous ammonia and water would have caused a reaction producing gas. If the ammonia was in a sealed container this may have produced an overpressure - build-up of gas - which could have led to an explosion. Some reports suggest there may have been fuel storage tanks at the factory."
Dr John Price, former Professor of Mechanical Engineering Department at Monash University highlighted shortcomings in the emergency preparations and response to the disaster:
"The basic safety propositions of this plant and the behaviour of the fire fighters who went to the fire and who may have died are major causes of concern. The plant is located not only next to the town of West but also on a very flat land so there is nothing to protect anyone from a shock wave emanating from a major explosion. ... The fact that members of the public could see it from open roads and their houses is very troubling."
The safety risk was compounded by inadequate emergency response, Dr Price goes on to explain, as fire fighters battled an out-of-control fire at the plant for up to 90 minutes before the explosion took place.
"The correct response in a place where quantities of ammonium nitrate is stored would be to fight the fire for a while, but if it is not controlled within say half an hour, the site should be abandoned and everyone evacuated. The West plant appears to have no proper emergency response system and fire fighters are likely to have paid for it with their lives."
Read more expert comments on SMC NZ / AusSMC websites
PCE calls for eel fishing
moratorium
Dr Jan Wright, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, is calling for a moratorium on the fishing of native longfin eels, citing research showing the species is in decline.
The Commissioner's report,
'On a pathway to extinction? An investigation
into the status and management of the longfin
eel', highlighted new research detailing
the decline of native longfin eel populations and the need
to take measures to prevent their extinction.
"It is
critical that we stop fishing longfin eels," Dr Wright said
in a media release. "It is not just
fishing that is a problem, but stopping it is the only
action that has immediate potential to reverse the decline
of this extraordinary creature."
Scientists contacted
by the Science Media Centre were generally supportive of Dr
Wright's report.
Dr Russell Death, Associate
Professor of Ecology at Massey University,
commented:
"Clearly the PCE's assessment
bears out the concerns many of the scientific community and
public have had; that one of our greatest freshwater taonga
is at risk.
"A moratorium on longfin fishing is an
obvious first step; however, clearly more drastic steps will
be needed to prevent its extinction. New Zealanders are
proud of our efforts to conserve many of our terrestrial
species and it would be a tragedy to see our largest
freshwater species disappear simply because it is not as
cute and cuddly as many of our other conservation
treasures."
More information about the report,
including audio from a media briefing, further expert commentary and collated media coverage, can be found on the SMC
website.
On the science radar...
The magic of moth flight, the shrinking 'hobbit', missing-in-action Soviet spacecraft, lab grown kidneys and helpful hearing loss.
Global launch for climate film
A new film offering viewers an 'access-all-areas' pass to the world of climate science will be screened at hundreds of locations around the globe on Monday.
Thin Ice - the inside story of climate
science - is the final product of the Simon
Lamb's three year project following and filming scientists
from a wide range of disciplines at work in the Arctic,
Antarctic, Southern Ocean, New Zealand, Europe and the USA.
The film will be globally launched next week in conjunction
with Earth Day.
Lamb, who is
an Associate Professor of Geophysics at Victoria University
Wellington, started work on the film in 2006 after a chance
conversation with a friend. The aim from the outset was to
give people from all walks of the life the chance to see the
astonishing range of human activity as well as scientific
endeavour that is required to help us understand our
changing climate.
"By watching the film," says Lamb,
" you not only find out what the scientists think, you also
see for yourself the research being carried out, whether it
be on the polar plateau in Antarctica, at -40°C, or in a
storm on the Southern Ocean, or back in the
laboratory."
Central to the film are the first-hand
explanations of research directly from scientists, often
recorded by Lamb in the field. When co-director David
Sington viewed the raw footage he was amazed at the insight
the interviews with scientists offered.
"Perhaps
because they were talking to a fellow scientist, all the
contributors spoke with a relaxed confidence and candour
that meant that not only did their science come across with
rare clarity, but their personalities and engagement with
their work did as well," he said.
Screenings of the film are
being held in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland
and almost 200 other location around the world - including
the South Pole.
If you can't make it to a screening,
don't fret, the film will be available for viewing online free of charge
for 48 hours from the beginning of Earth Day, and will
available to download thereafter for a small fee.
You can watch a trailer of the film and read
more background at thiniceclimate.org.
Quoted:
Firstline, TV3
"We want to put to bed this debate about vaccines, because it's over. We need to move on."
Meningitis Foundation Director Paul Gilberd discusses vaccination
New from the
SMC
Texas explosion: Australian experts offer insight on the explosion of a fertiliser plant in West, Texas.
ANZAC rations:
WWI soldiers serving in the trenches of Gallipoli may have
suffered scurvy and other illnesses due nutritionally
deficient rations, according to new research.
Eels
report: Listen to the Parliamentary Commissioner
for the Environment's media briefing to launch a
report on protecting native eels (plus expert commentary and
resulting media coverage).
Sciblogs highlights
Some of the highlights from this week's posts:
Vaccination rates in NZ and what do those
that delay infant immunisation think? Grant
Jacobs digs into the latest immunisation data from the
Ministry of Health.
Code for Life
Turning moments - For Marcus
Wilson, baby-proofing the house becomes an exercise in
Newtonian physics.
Physics Stop
Intergenerational equity -
Robert Hickson looks at the impact of an ageing generation,
noting that intergenerational equity should not be seen as
an "Us vs. Them"
conflict.
Ariadne
Press council
decision on homeopathy article - In the wake of a
press council ruling against North & South magazine
regarding an article critical of homeopathy, Michael Edmonds and Siouxsie Wiles offer some
analysis.
Molecular Matters & Infectious Thoughts
Research highlights
Please note: hyperlinks point, where possible, to the relevant abstract or paper.
Extinction lag: The effects
of environmental pressures on biological extinctions may
take decades to surface, according to a new study of
threatened species in Europe. Researchers found that
threatened species rates were more correlated with
environmental pressures from over 50 years ago than modern
day problems.
Antarctic
plankton came with the ice: Scientist involved in
the Expedition 318 drilling program bored a
kilometre down into the seafloor off the coast of Antarctica
to collect sediments containing tiny fossils. Analysis of
the sediments indicates that about 34 million years ago, as
ice was covering the surface of Antarctica, plankton in the
Southern Ocean was undergoing an abrupt and dramatic
reorganization, giving rise to new plankton
communities.
Maternal carrying a pick-me-up: There is a very good reason mothers often carry their crying babies, pacing the floor, to help them calm down. New research shows that infants experience an automatic calming reaction upon being carried - whether they are mice or human babies. The study is the first to show that the infant calming response to carrying is a coordinated set of central, motor, and cardiac regulations.
Parasite inspires better bandage: Attaching skin grafts is tricky business; skin glues, stitches and staples are the standard treatments but can further damage tissue and are prone to infection. Now, inspired by a parasitic worm, scientists have developed a new kind of bandage sporting hundreds of tiny needles with swelling tips that lock the material into the skin, minimising damage and risk of infection.
Green spaces
good for the heart, mind: Living in a neighbourhood
with more green spaces (such as gardens and parks) is linked
to better cardiovascular and mental health according to New
Zealand research. Although physical activity was higher in
greener neighbourhoods further analyses found it did not
fully explain the green space and health
relationship.
Policy
updates
Some of the policy highlights from this week:
Trans-tasman med
reform:
Drinking data: The latest Ministry of Health survey on drinking, undertaken in 2011/12, shows 80% of the population report consuming alcohol, down from 84% in the 2006/07.
Upcoming sci-tech events
• Thin Ice - The Inside Story of Climate Change - Global film launch (coinciding with EarthDay) - 22 April, Dunedin, Christchurch & Wellington
• The Science of Crime - SCANZ panel event - with Dr Keith Bedford, ESR; Kim Workman, Re-Thinking Crime & Punishment; Charlotte Shipman, Reporter, 3News; Inspector John Walker, New Zealand Police; moderated by Peter Griffin, SMC - 29 April, Wellington
For these and more upcoming events, and more details about them, visit the SMC's Events Calendar.
ENDS
Science Media Centre NZ
Our aim is to promote accurate, evidence-based reporting on science and technology by helping the media work more closely with the scientific community.
The Science Media Centre is New Zealand's only trusted, independent source of information for the media on all issues related to science. Thousands of news stories providing context from and quoting New Zealand researchers have been published as a direct result of our work.
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