FREAKY

Jellyfish Disrupt Nuclear Plant

Preventing effective cooling of reactors.

It’s bad enough when a tsunami shuts down a nuclear plant. But the sea is finding new and innovative ways to disrupt power generation. A nuclear power plant at Torness on the east coast of Scotland has been forced to shut down its reactors after jellyfish swarmed the pool of water used to cool the reactors, obstructing water filters. The low-tech problem will require some time to resolve: according to a pre-planned program for such occasions, the plant’s two reactors will restart July 5 and 6, respectively. Scientists say the problem could become more common. They say that warmer temperatures encourage greater jellyfish growth in northerly places like Scotland where they’re usually rarer. But can we rule out the possibility that Poseidon is upset about something?