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Radiation has wreaked havoc with Fukushima’s birds

No birdsong in Fukishima: ‘Dramatic’ decline of birds linked to radiation from 2011 disaster

• Researchers find that bird species are continuing to drop in Fukushima
• The barn swallow, for example, dropped from hundreds to dozens
• This is despite radiation levels in the region starting to fall
• And comparing it to Chernobyl could reveal what the future holds

By JONATHAN O’CALLAGHAN FOR MAILONLINE, 16 April 2015

Bird numbers have dramatically declined in Fukushima, research has revealed Scientists analysed 57 species in the region and found that the majority of populations had diminished as a result of the nuclear accident. They found that one breed in particular had plummeted from several hundred before the 2011 disaster to just a few dozen today.

The research, published in the Journal of Ornithology, was carried out by scientists at the University of South Carolina including biologist Dr Tim Mousseau.

They showed that the situation has steadily worsened since the disaster on 11 March 2011………

And while background radiation has declined in the region in recent years, the negative effects of the accident on birds are actually increasing.

‘The relationship between radiation and numbers started off negative the first summer, but the strength of the relationship has actually increased each year,’ Dr Mousseau said.‘So now we see this really striking drop-off in numbers of birds as well as numbers of species of birds.

‘So both the biodiversity and the abundance are showing dramatic impacts in these areas with higher radiation levels, even as the levels are declining.’…….http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3041695/No-birdsong-Fukishima-Dramatic-decline-birds-linked-radiation-2011-disaster.html

April 17, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Japan