Latest News

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Beachcombers on US West Coast prepare for more debris from last year's Japan tsunami

By: Alicia Chang, The Associated Press

Posted: 12/25/2012 9:48 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 12/25/2012 12:15 PM

This image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows a large ocean-drifting dock that washed ashore in an extremely rugged and remote section of coast in the Olympic National Park on Dec. 18. It was found between LaPush and the mouth of the Hoh River. The Coast Guard mounted a series of flights to locate the dock after it was spotted adrift in the ocean last Friday by fishermen aboard Fishing Vessel Lady Nancy. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration worked to determine the dock’s trajectory based on the reported location at the time of the sighting. It has not been confirmed whether the dock is a piece of debris from the devastating March 2011 tsunami in Japan. (U.S. COAST GUARD HANDOUT / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Volunteers who patrol California beaches for plastic, cigarette butts and other litter will be on the lookout this winter for debris from last year's monstrous tsunami off Japan's coast.

The March 2011 disaster washed about 5 million tons of debris into the sea. Most sank, leaving an estimated 1 1/2 million tons afloat. No one knows how much debris — strewn across an area three times the size of the United States — is still adrift.

Last week, the U.S. Coast Guard spotted a massive dock that possibly came from Japan on a wilderness beach in Washington state.

The West Coast is bracing for more sightings in the coming months as seasonal winds and coastal currents tend to drive marine wreckage ashore.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently received a $5 million donation from Japan to track and remove tsunami debris.

Debris from Asia routinely floats to the U.S. It's extremely difficult to link something back to the Japanese tsunami without a serial number, phone number or other marker.

Of the more than 1,400 tsunami debris sightings reported to NOAA, the agency only traced 17 pieces back to the event, including small fishing boats, soccer balls, a dock and a shipping container housing a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with Japanese license plates.

Charlie Plybon, Oregon's regional manager at the Surfrider Foundation, said the tsunami has raised beachgoers' awareness about marine debris plaguing the world's coastlines.

"There's a bit of tsunami debris fever. It's like an Easter egg hunt," said Plybon, who has been cleaning up the Oregon coast for over a decade. "People used to walk past debris. Now they want to be engaged."

Tsunami waves swamped a Japanese nuclear power plant and swept debris into the ocean, but health experts have said debris arriving on the West Coast is unlikely to be radioactive after having crossed thousands of miles of ocean. The debris field, which once could be spotted from satellite and aerial photos, has dispersed.

More than 18,000 residents were killed or went missing.

Volunteer Julie Walters has combed Mussel Rock Beach south of San Francisco for wreckage, but all she has found so far are wave-battered boat parts and lumber of unknown origin.

If she did find an object with a direct link, "I would find it quite intriguing that it made this incredible journey across the Pacific," said Walters, a volunteer with the Pacifica Beach Coalition. "It would also sadden me to think of the human tragedy."

___

AP writers Becky Bohrer in Honolulu and Tim Fought in Portland, Oregon, contributed to this report.

___

Follow Alicia Chang at http://twitter.com/SciWriAlicia

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Latest News

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.