A delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has arrived [le 1er septembre] to inspect the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, where fighting and shelling increase the risk of a nuclear accident. [Elle a rendu son rapport mardi 6 septembre, dans lequel elle dénonce une situation “intenable”. ]
This plant – the largest in Europe – has been occupied since March by Russian troops who invaded Ukraine. The international community has issued serious warnings, recalling that the degradation of the plant could cause a catastrophic meltdown of reactor cores, like what happened in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011.
After the accident, an international network of stations – originally formed to enforce a treaty banning nuclear testing – began monitoring and predicting the movements of the radioactive cloud emitted by the damaged plant. This network was set up by the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).
If an accident happens in Zaporizhia, Jolanta Kusmierczyk-Michulec could be among the first to know. This researcher, specialist in the atmosphere, works for the International Data Center (CID) of the CTBTO. Based in Vienna, this organization is equipped to carry out simulations of the trajectory of a radioactive cloud, both in anticipation and retrospectively.
Nature interviewed her to find out how her work could help in the event of an accident in Zaporizhia.
Nature: What does the CTBTO surveillance network do?
Jolanta Kusmierczyk-Michulec: The International Surveillance System is a network of stations created and managed by the CTBTO to ensure the detection of
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Nature (London)Since 1869, this well-deserved scientific journal has received – after several months of checks – reports on major innovations in all fields: from biology to physics via astronomy. His age does not prevent him from remaining surprisingly dynamic. In addition to articles intended for researchers and scientists, the journal also offers pages of news, debates and files accessible to the general public.
Like other newspapers, Nature offers archives dating back to 1987. But their pooling with all the more specialized publications of its press group, Nature Publishing Group, allows the visitor to access a very substantial mass of information. The very simple classification by scientific fields – chemistry, pharmacy, oncology, biotechnology, immunology – greatly facilitates research. Another very practical point, all the articles are dotted with numbered bibliographical notes, which refer directly to another online article. In the paper version, a summary of the articles accessible on the Net is proposed.
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