Japanese tsunami debris to reach U.S. West Coast in early 2014

Japanese tsunami debris to reach U.S. West Coast in early 2014

2011-04-09 03:14:27 GMT+7 (ICT)

HONOLULU (BNO NEWS) -- Debris from the powerful tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan last month will impact the U.S. West Coast in early 2014, Hawaiian researches say.

The tsunami triggered by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake on March 11 washed entire houses, cars, and other objects into the Pacific Ocean. Researchers at the International Pacific Research Center have now developed a model that will help predict when and where the debris will be dumped.

The model shows the tsunami debris first spread out eastward from the Japanese coast in the North pacific Subtropical Gyre. It will take about a year before pieces will begin washing up the shores of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands' Marine National Monument.

In about two years, the center predicts, the remaining Hawaiian islands will see some effects but not as much debris as the U.S. West Coast will likely get around March 2014. The plume will dump debris most notably on the beaches of California and Baja California in Mexico, although the Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaskan coastlines will also be affected.

"The debris will then drift into the famous North Pacific Garbage Patch, where it will wander around and break into smaller and smaller pieces," the center said. "In five years, Hawaii shores can expect to see another barrage of debris that is stronger and longer-lasting than the first one. Much of the debris leaving the North Pacific Garbage Patch ends up on Hawaii's reefs and beaches."

The International Pacific Research Center said its model will help guide clean-up and tracking operations. "Tracking will be important in determining what happens to different materials in the tsunami debris, for example, how the composition of the debris plume changes with time, and how the winds and currents separate objects drifting at different speeds," it said.

Even before the devastating tsunami, however, the World Ocean was already a dump for rubbish flowing in from rivers, washed off beaches, and jettisoned from oil and gas platforms and from fishing, tourist, and merchant vessels.

"Marine debris has become a serious problem for marine ecosystems, fisheries, and shipping," the center said. "The massive, concentrated debris launched by the devastating tsunami is now magnifying the hazards."

The 9.0-magnitude and its resulting tsunami has left at least 12,800 people killed and some 15,000 people remain missing. Japanese officials have called it the worst crisis since the end of World War II.

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