Japan and Israel shut down nuclear reactors after the possibility of jellyfish infilitratration into their sea water cooling systems!

From the International Business Times:

A nuclear reactor in Japan was forced to shut down due to infiltration of enormous swarms of jellyfish near the power plant.

A similar incident was also reported recently in Israel when millions of jellyfish clogged down the sea-water cooling system of the power plant.

[Photos of the invasion are at the site.]

[Link]

Four months ago I was pro nuclear power considering it a possible alternative to both coal burning and oil burning electric power plants. Nuclear was seemingly a cleaner option to me, the technology had evolved, and our country is now summarily competing for oil with both China and India. Ultimately, that means possible shortages in the future if we don't lighten demand but that was then...

On March 11th. 2011 two "black swan" events; (I don't mean the movie - look it up), occurred on the same day: An earthquake of Biblical proportions; (a 9.0 Richter scale magnitude), and a subsequent tsunami of incomprehensible force that shredded a whole town.

Currently a wide swath of Japan is radioactive and a whole city is still homeless. Presently there is no hope in sight and that to me as a scarlet, red, flag in regards to my nuclear hopes of a cleaner way to produce electricity.

One could argue that these were indeed "black swan" events right up there with a proverbial Noah's Flood or an Arkstorm; (See USGS link), and that these events will never happen for another 1,000-years or so, but Jellyfish?

Nuclear waste has obviously been the "Achilles heal" of the nuclear industry but jellyfish? JELLYFISH? This is an incomprehensible sort of nuclear problem and also reveals an absurd vulnerability which in itself looks like a potential port of sabotage and way too big a risk to assume it could rarely be a problem.

The photo above was taken by Scott Belland; (If you use it you have to credit him and link to his Flickr page.) at the San Francisco, Fisherman's Wharf Aquarium. Go there sometime. His stuff kicks butt and he will license, sell, or simply allow his images to be used.