A task force for the 2011 Japanese tsunami marine debris field, which is floating towards Hawaii, has met at the International Pacific Research Center (IPRC) In Hawaii to share information to help avert the crisis.
The 25 million tonne marine debris field is due to reach Hawaii this winter and the west coast of the US in 2013.
The meeting held at the IPRC, consisted of representatives from the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, Kyoto University, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) based in Washington DC and representatives from the IPRC based at the University of Hawaii.
The scientists are working together in a task force to find and track the tsunami debris – there has already been a survey expedition from Honolulu to beyond Midway, which resulted in various models being created to describe distribution and motion of the debris.
Ruth Yender, Japan Tsunami Marine Debris Coordinator of the Marine Debris Program at NOAA, said to World Fishing: “NOAA has run its own models to forecast the movement of marine debris generated by the March 11 Japan tsunami and we are comparing the results of our models to those of others, including researchers at University of Hawaii IPRC and Japan's Kyoto University.
Much uncertainty remains regarding how much marine debris was generated by the Japan tsunami and how much of that debris sank. The US and Japan have committed to continue sharing information and collaborating on the tsunami marine debris issue."
NOAA is very interested in any observations of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. Commercial shippers, fishermen, and others are being encouraged to report observations of marine debris to NOAA at: DisasterDebris@noaa.gov
