Tsunami debris enroute?
From Grist: Tsunami debris on the West Coast could be ‘far worse than any oil spill’.
Last year’s tsunami in Japan threw 1.5 million tons of debris into the ocean. It’s starting to show up on the West Coast — a soccer ball here, a motorcycle there, a 66-foot, 165-ton dock. According to the Associated Press, more might be coming. Or it might not. But when the debris arrives, if enough arrives, it could be dangerous enough to be a national emergency.
No one knows for sure what’s going to happen next. The AP talked to
some expertswho thought most of that debris would chill out in the ocean, far from American shores. But they also talked to experts with names, like Chris Pallister, who was not so sanguine: [continue]
Troubling. Will we have debris from the tsunami washing up on Gabriola beaches, or will it wind up elsewhere — like on the west coast of Vancouver Island — instead?
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2 Responses to “Tsunami debris enroute?”
skadhu on 10 Jun 2012 at 12:14 pm #
I noticed reports this week of a big Japanese dock washing up on an Oregon beach. The concerns with that were ones that we haven’t seen much of—the dock carried quite a few potentially invasive species. Apparently the Department of Fish and Wildlife went in and scraped it down and then sterilized the surface to with low-pressure torches try to prevent this.
I shouldn’t think this would be possible if enormous quantities of stuff start appearing on our shores.
Gabriolan on 10 Jun 2012 at 2:42 pm #
Good point, skadhu; that is a huge concern.
Here’s another article for you: Tsunami-Driven Toyota Dealership Washes Up In California. It begins:
And of course it’s from thespoof.com. :-)