By Naomi Klouda
Photo courtesy of Homer Tribune. Volunteers collect washed-up junk off the beach in Kachemak Bay.
Homer Tribune
A prevalent problem with marine trash is the tragedy it causes marine life when a bird plucks a morsel that is actually Styrofoam, or when a seal gets strangled by fishing nets.
If there’s a good side to the massive patch of Japanese tsunami debris en route to Alaska, it’s the awareness brought to the problem. People will meet the trash on the beach and clean it up before it can trap unsuspecting animals.
Homer beach monitors have been at it for a few months now, eyeing the tidelines and removing garbage, said Patrick Chandler, special programs coordinator at the Alaska Center for Coastal Studies.
“We’ve been monitoring beaches for 28 years in Kachemak Bay. We’ve got a pretty good idea of what’s coming up and what has come up,” Chandler said.
“The entire tsunami debris problem is a difficult issue. The reason is because we’ve been getting Asian debris in Alaska for many, many years. We know because of the ship that made it over here, we know that high windage items — buoys that float high that get a lot of wind to get that push — we get those.”
Japanese floats were found from Nanwalek. Last week, Halo Bay Bear Viewing pilots flying between Homer and Katmai came upon large yellow buoys. Kachemak Bay also has seen scattered buoys, with a possible range all the way down the Kenai Peninsula, according to NOAA estimates.
NOAA sightings have confirmed that debris is not in fields or islands, but scattered over a large
Graphic courtesy of Homer Tribune.
area of the North Pacific.
The problem is the difficulty in confirming whatever comes ashore was washed loose from the massive spread of trash, he said. The tsunami struck in March 2010, with the potential for years of strewn trash carried on currents. Much of it likely sank.
The government of Japan estimates that the tsunami swept roughly 5 million tons of debris into the Pacific Ocean. Of this 5 million tons, they
estimate that roughly 70 percent sank near shore, leaving 30 percent, or roughly 1.6 to 1.7 million tons of debris floating off the coast. That aligns with previous NOAA data and experience from similar events that shows that the majority of heavier debris is likely to sink in the near shore area. Floating items — including boats that pose navigation hazards — are left to be carried on currents.
“What I can say is over past few weeks we’re finding uncommon buoys – big white Styrofoam buoys. We know they are of Japanese origin,” Chandler said.
“The rate it’s moving, how much, where it is right now – these are things no one can say for certain,” he added. “We don’t know how much will strike further south or directly this way but it’s definitely on its way. The modeling they’ve done has predicted it will hit most in 2013. But in the meantime, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more high windage items.”
What to do if you find a suspected tsunami discard?
It depends on the item and where it is.
“Those are two big variables. Styrofoam should be removed to keep those ecosystems intact. Especially nets. Buoys break down and look like food items for surface feeding birds and ocean mammals. Then they suffer the consequences,” Chandler said.
If it makes sense, if it’s practical, it should be picked up.
“We have to use common sense with whatever you find. If it looks like you shouldn’t mess with it, a 50-gallon drum you don’t want to take it upon yourself to haul it off,” he added.
It will help if people report to NOAA. Take the GPS coordinates at a site. Take pictures of the debris and give a brief description. This is being accepted at disasterdebris@NOAA.gov NOAA wants to get a good idea of what’s coming and where.
Officials are not worried about radioactivity.
“It is incredibly unlikely that anything would be radioactivity. It was all dispersed before the (nuclear) reactor was melted down,” Chandler said.
The Center for Alaska Coastal Studies raises awareness about the hazards of plastic and other garbage dumped on the ocean. Each year, they conduct beach cleanup and then offer awards for sculptures made of debris. But the tsunami dispersal offers an even bigger chance to get the message out.
“This was definitely a tragedy. It was a catastrophic act of nature. But marine debris has been
Photo courtesy of R. Compton.
around and it will be around for along time. Most isn’t caused by acts of nature,” Chandler said. “It’s caused by human choices. Most of it is recreational debris.”
The tsunami event provides an opportunity to shed light on an activity that affects all the oceans of the world.
The Center for Alaska Coastal Studies is planning events to help turn the spotlight on this environmental catastrophe. They are hoping to have exhibit pieces and information on the Homer Spit and other beaches to illustrate the range of garbage culprits washing ashore. These will sculptures will be built of 100 percent trash.
“This way, they will get a better profile of what we are finding and how much there is in beautiful and horrifying large-scale art,” he said.
The center still needs volunteers.
If people are interested in beach monitoring or participating in any of this issue, call 235-6667 or email at patrick@akcoastalstudies.org
In addition to his role at the Center for Coastal Studies, Chandler is the International Coastal Cleanup state coordinator.
Here are detailed answers to two common questions:
What type of debris is out there?
The tsunami impacted an area with varied infrastructure, so what was washed to sea is expected to be a wide range of items – household and consumer goods, construction and industrial materials, fishing and maritime equipment, etc. The exact composition is unknown, and likely to vary over time and distance as the debris weathers. This makes it difficult to differentiate “tsunami debris” from the debris that unfortunately hits Alaskan (and other) shorelines all the time.
Is the debris radioactive?
Consensus of scientists across the agencies NOAA has consulted with is that debris contamination is HIGHLY unlikely. This is based on several reasons, primarily that the debris would have been too far from the Fukushima reactor to have been in contact with radiation, both because the radiation leaks began after debris would have begun moving off the coast, and because the tsunami impact area included areas far from the reactor site. Going along with these data, monitoring stations as close as 30 kilometers away from the reactor site itself have shown that seawater met radiation safety levels for human consumption.
