Studying the movements of japanese tsunami debris isnt the first time scientists have learned from stuff inadvertantly dumped in the ocean. Tsunami debris smartphone app developed huffpost canada. The 2011 tsunami flushed hundreds of japanese species across the ocean. Mobile marine debris tracker app help noaa track marine. The 2004 tsunami left banda aceh, indonesia with mountains of debris up to 4 miles inland. Tracking debris from the tohoku tsunami nasa earth observatory. Japanese tsunami debris will continue to wash up on us. Vancouver with more than a million tonnes of debris from the japanese tsunami floating toward north american shores and beaches, a new app is encouraging members of the public to become. The government of japan estimated that 5 million tons of debris was carried into the pacific by the massive tsunami wave.
But the foreign animals colonized the wreckage long before the. Tracking tsunami debris via satellite urthecast blog. A new smartphone app developed in victoria will enable people to help track debris from the march 2011 tsunami in japan as it gets within sight of b. Noaa tracking marine debris from the japanese tsunami. Animation of japanese tsunami debris field spreading bbc. Thats more than the 5 million tons of debris that the japanese ministry of the environment estimated ended up in the pacific after the magnitude9. Japan tsunami marine debris overview and status update. Scientists expect more debris to hit alaska and the west. Coastbuster app tracks japanese tsunami debris in bc. The blm will work with partners within existing budgets to. The 2011 tsunami flushed hundreds of japanese species. Noaa marine debris program established in 2005 mandated by the marine debris research, prevention, and reduction act, dec. Japan tsunami debris moves towards us and canada this article is more than 7 years old wreckage including lumber, footballs, parts of roofs and factories, and. In the months and years following the tsunami in japan, noaa led efforts to model, monitor, and document the sightings of debris.
However, they warn there is still a large amount of uncertainty over exactly what is still floating, where its located, where it. Marine debris is one of the leading threats to the ocean and the great east japan earthquake and tsunami on march 11, 2011 washed away an estimated 5 million tons of debris in a single, tragic event. An estimated total of 635 metric tons of debris was removed. As elaine yong reports, while the debris is a concern those tracking it hope it will shine. This tsunami debris tracking project was one of the first attempts to locate some. Tracking marine debris from the japanese tsunami gcaptain. In the weeks and months following the devastating march 2011 japanese tsunami, governments along the west coast of this continent began preparing for a wave of debris that was expected to wash up. Monitoring and surveillance of japanesetsunami marine debris. Measuring and tracking the movements of such debris are still in their infancy. Entire villages and communities are gone, along with the lives that inhabited them. For those concerned, several new sources of information are now available on the web. Tsunami enabled hundreds of aquatic species to raft across. Of the japanese species that arrived on the tsunami debris, about a third were already present on the american pacific coast.
Mountains of debris from the japanese tsunami have floated. Although the magnitude of this pales in comparison to the amount of human loss and suffering brought about by these events, japan tsunami marine debris is something that we at noaa are still addressing five years later. Most people will have seen the images depicting the devastating impact of the 9. Scripps first in faculty quality among oceanography programs nationwide. Tracking japan s tsunami debris infographic by ross toro 25 june 2012. Thousands of citizen scientists have logged over 2 million pieces of litter and debris all over the world. Japanese tsunami marine debris response home facebook. The japanese government estimated that the tsunami generated 25 million tons of rubble, but there is no clear understanding of exactly how much debris was swept into the water nor what remained afloat.
Does japanese tsunami debris pose an environmental threat to the u. Honolulu, march15, 2015 on the anniversary of the devastating march 2011 tsunami in japan, members of the north pacific marine science organization and the japan ministry of education are holding a joint conference in honolulu to present findings of their project on the tsunami and marine debris. Well after the massive 2011 tsunami that swept across the japanese coast, reminders of the. S many variables affect where japan tsunami marine debris goes and when. Although a year has passed since japans tsunami sucked tons of wood, nets and other debris into the pacific ocean, the national oceanic and. Marine debris tracker an open data citizen science tool. Tsunami debris testing washington state department of. As reported by msn, the 2011 tsunami carried an estimated five million tons of debris into the pacific ocean. Debris from japans 2011 tsunami will continue to litter the north american. Monitoring and surveillance of japanesetsunami marine debris principal investigators dr. Japanese tsunami debris will continue to wash up on us shores.
The driftage generated by the tragic 2011 tsunami in japan gave scientists a unique chance to learn about the. The disaster claimed nearly 16,000 lives, injured 6,000, and destroyed or damaged countless buildings. Japanese officials estimate that 5 million tons of japan tsunami marine debris jtmd washed into the pacific after the march 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, according to the national oceanic and atmospheric administration noaa. Wreckage from the earthquake and tsunami that devastated japan in 2011 has traveled thousands of miles across the. Japanese tsunami debris on this coastline is likely to be severe. The government of japan estimated that 5 million tons of debris was carried into the ocean by the massive tsunami, of which 70%. Carey morishige, pacific islands regional coordinator for the noaa marine debris program, helps explain what we know about the tsunami. The marine debris tracker is a joint effort of the noaa marine debris program and the southeast atlantic marine debris initiative seamdi out of the university of georgia faculty of engineering.
Debris from the 2011 japanese tsunami is headed towards hawaii and the north american west coast. As japan struggles to recover from the devastation, tsunami debris is an ongoing concern along the u. Tracking japans tsunami debris infographic by ross toro 25 june 2012. The total amount of debris is unknown the japanese government is finetuning its estimate of the amount. What has happened to the tsunami debris from japan. An estimated 70% of the debris sank near the coast of japan, while the rest dispersed throughout the ocean. International pacific research center marine debris news.
Current predictions are that debris from the japanese tsunami will continue to land on the shores of the united states for at least the next several years, depending on ocean conditions, currents and storms. Japanese tsunami marine debris response bureau of land. The influx of marine debris from the great japan tsunami of 2011 to. Cathryn clarke murray pices secretariat visiting scientist director nancy wallace noaa marine debris program monitoring and surveillance characterizing the impact of debris from the 2011 great tohoku earthquake and tsunami requires an. Conventional satellites were able to track the debris field for about a month after the tsunami. Japanese tsunami debris link roundup deep sea news. The oregon sea grant, a program at oregon state university funded by the. Marine debris is one of the leading threats to the ocean and the great east. The japanese government estimated that the tsunami generated 25 million tons of rubble, but there is no clear understanding of exactly how. Tracking japans tsunami debris infographic live science. Many variables affect where japan tsunami marine debris goes and when. The tohoku earthquake in japan and resulting tsunami washed an estimated 5. The 2011 japanese tsunami set the stage for something unprecedented. It was pulled from the chilly waters off the shore of lincoln countys ona beach, located just south of newport, nearly a year ago.
Oregon state university scientists and a team of others have discovered plastic marine debris played a key role in transporting nonnative species after. Researchers study surge of sea critters from 2011 japanese. Here we used shoreline surveys, disaster debris reports and ocean drift models to investigate the temporal and spatial trends in the arrival of. Tsunami debris from last years massive earthquake in japan is washing up along the pacific coast. Japanese coastal species rode tsunami debris to the us. Tsunami debris tracking project ocean recovery alliance. Noaa has a new video and podcast explaining how the debris is moving across the ocean, and what you can. Items sink, disperse, and break up along the way, and winds and ocean currents.
Noaa tracking marine debris from the japanese tsunami debris from the tsunami that devastated japan in march could reach the united states as early as this winter, according to predictions by noaa scientists. Tracking the debris from japans tsunami the new york times. In march 2011 japan was struck by a large earthquake and resultant tsunami that killed thousands of people, resulted in billions of dollars in property damage and caused the release of radioactivity from several nuclear power plants. Debris from the deadly tsunami that struck japan in 2011 is drifting across the pacific ocean toward north america, and will likely continue to wash onto north american shores over the next few. But as debris sank and began to be kicked around by ocean currents, regular satellite images lost track of where it was all. Japan tsunami debris moves towards us and canada world. Panagaea exploration the sea dragon will sail from the marshall islands to japan to hawaii to study the dispersal of debris swept into the sea by japans march 11 tsunami. Items sink, disperse, and break up along the way, and winds and ocean currents constantly change, making it very difficult to predict an exact date and location for the debris arrival on our shores. Include photographs when possible, and also the specific location of the debris. Mobile marine debris tracker app help noaa track marine debris from the japanese tsunami.
Us navy pacific fleet japan tsunami marine debris overview and status update psmfc annual meeting august 21, 2012 nir barnea noaa marine debris program. The japanese environment ministry believes roughly 5 million tonnes of tsunami debris washed out of japan following the. Recent debris activity an open data citizen science tool, powered by morgan stanley. If all that was squeezed into a 2 12 acre field, it would create a tower of trash 3,000 feet tall. The japanese government estimated that the tsunami swept about 5. Does japanese tsunami debris pose an environmental threat. The tsunami swept a tremendous amount of debris into the ocean, including buildings, boats, automobiles and numerous smaller items. This is a public outreach page to spread information about the ongoing research of the ecological effects of. Plastics key in spreading japanese tsunami debris youtube. When will the debris from the tsunami in japan reach the u. The refuse formed large debris fields captured by satellite imagery and aerial photos of the coastal waters.
How japanese tsunami debris field spread jump to media player computer animation shows how far the debris field created by the japanese tsunami has travelled into the pacific ocean over the last. Unfortunately, the effects of these natural events did not stop there. Wreckage from the earthquake and tsunami that devastated japan in 2011 has traveled thousands of miles across the pacific ocean. Although a vast majority of the refuse settled on the ocean floor, an estimated one million tons of debris is still floating on the surface. The japanese team has sent out about 70 batteryoperated tracking. Report oil and hazardous items that wash ashore to 1800oils911. Some of this may have been pushed back to the coastline in japan by winds and. Scientists track where all the debris from the japanese. Washington nearly 300 species of fish, mussels and other sea critters hitchhiked across the pacific ocean on debris from the 2011 japanese tsunami, washing. The monthlong barge operation is part of a massive project to clean remote and rugged shorelines of tons of marine debris, some of it from the 2011 japanese tsunami. Shortly after the tsunami struck, maximenko and hafner used the iprc ocean drift model to predict where the debris from the tsunami would go. Somewhere out in the pacific, a massive amount of debris from japans 2011 tsunami is slowly drifting toward the u. Tsunami enabled hundreds of aquatic species to raft across pacific 2017, september 28.
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