Expedition Underway
University Researchers Explore Amchitka Island's Marine Environment
The Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP)
Amchitka, Alaska
For further information, please go to:
http://www.cresp.org/
On 28 June 2004, a diverse group of researchers from five major research
universities left Adak, Alaska bound by ship for Amchitka, an island in
the western Aleutian chain in Alaska. Amchitka is a few miles from the
international dateline and is the site of three significant underground
nuclear test shots more than 30 years ago. Before leaving, the research
team reported to the residents of Adak on the status of their
Consortium's two-part expedition this summer at Amchitka. The research
effort is seeking to clarify whether there is any current threat to
human beings or the environment in the marine surroundings of the three
nuclear tests conducted by the U.S. government at Amchitka. It also
seeks to establish a baseline for any later scientific evaluations of
the effects of the tests and provide information to inform any
additional surveillance of the sea and marine life near Amchitka. Adak
is the home of the community of Aleut residents closest to Amchitka and
residents report subsistence fishing activities near Amchitka and its
environs. Results from this summer's field work will require extended
analysis and are not expected for about eight months.
For further information on this project and to view the 28 June 2004
press release, please go to:
http://www.cresp.org