A dam wall burst releasing more than a billion gallons of coal ash in East Tennessee just before Christmas on December 22. The gray sludge apparently now covers over 300 acres and has destroyed three homes. Interestingly the spill has been blamed on cold weather and above-normal rains (see MSNBC news report).
In the US and Australia coal ash, also known as fly ash, is captured at power stations and generally stored as a sludge while in many parts of the developing world it escapes through the chimney and contributes significantly to air pollution. [Read more…] about Coal Ash Disaster in Tennessee
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.