Drones Hunt Ocean Radiation to Predict Tsunamis

As it turns out, radioactivity is rare in the ocean. When naturally occurring radiation is present, it may mean an earthquake is coming. Here’s more from MOTHERBOARD:

On land, increased seismic activity is known to release small quantities of radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, into soil in the days before earthquakes happen. So detecting a spike in radioactivity in the sea floor might be able to help us predict underwater earthquakes. Except, as with lots of ocean science, we have almost no idea what’s going on with radioactivity on the seafloor, and to be able to detect a spike in radioactivity, we’d need to have baseline readings.

“Radioactivity itself is largely unknown in the marine environment, despite its importance” said Professor Theo J. Mertzimekis at the University of Athens. He’s leading a team with funding from the EU to develop underwater drones that can measure marine radioactivity. The 4 year project just started this spring. The team are currently very much still in labs on dry land, developing the sensors and A.I. the drones will need to operate.

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