For most areas it could be a matter of years, not days or weeks, before debris from the Japanese tsunami reaches the United States. The debris clumped together when it first washed into the ocean, but it has since dispersed, making it difficult to locate. This makes it hard for scientists to tell what types of debris are still afloat and how much of it will make its way toward U.S. coasts.

Scientists are relying on computer models to predict the path of the debris, but models can only assume general direction and timing. Since winds and ocean currents constantly change, it is very difficult to predict an exact date and location for the arrival of any debris on U.S. coasts without more information.

Models run by NOAA researchers and other scientists show some debris could pass near, or wash ashore, in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as early as this winter, approach the West Coast of the United States and Canada in 2013, and then circle back to the main Hawaiian Islands in 2014.

NOAA is leading efforts within the federal government -- along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies, as well as non-governmental organizations and academia -- to understand the nature and amount of items that may wash ashore. NOAA is also working to understand the many possible impact scenarios and how to best protect our natural resources and coasts. It is considered highly unlikely that the tsunami-generated marine debris is contaminated with radioactive material because the debris washed out to sea before the release of radioactive water from the power plant. The EPA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are monitoring for radioactivity.

For more information:
Frequently Asked Questions: Debris from Japan Tsunami

NOAA Marine Debris Program

Marine Debris (Diving Deeper podcast, 2.23.09)

10 Things You Need to Know About Marine Debris

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Ghostfishing is a term that describes what happens when derelict fishing gear 'continues to fish'. Derelict fishing gear, sometimes referred to as "ghost gear," is any discarded, lost, or abandoned, fishing gear in the environment. This gear continues to fish and trap animals, entangle and potentially kill marine life, smother habitat, and act as a hazard to navigation. Derelict fishing gear, such as nets or traps and pots, is one of the main types of debris impacting the marine environment today.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is working with fishermen to provide a place to dispose of fishing gear free of charge. Through the Fishing for Energy partnership, derelict gear is collected and recycled (e.g., metal) or used to create energy to power homes. In the first three years of this program, over one million pounds of derelict fishing gear was collected. The Fishing for Energy partnership includes NOAA, Covanta Energy Corporation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Schnitzer Steel.


For more information:
NOAA Marine Debris Program

10 Things You Need to Know About Marine Debris

Diving Deeper (audio podcast), Marine Debris (Feb. 23, 2009),



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Although surface oil would rapidly dissipate by a passing hurricane, trace oil or residue in the deep ocean would not be disturbed; however, wave energy could uncover or move nearshore submerged mats or oil buried along shorelines as a result of older spills or natural seeps. Following oil spills, such as the BP Deepwater Horizon incident in 2010, concerns may exist about how oil residue in deeper water could be impacted if a hurricane passes over the affected area. Oil residues in deep-ocean sediments will not be disturbed by passing hurricanes and trace amounts of oil dissolved in the water column will become even more dispersed.

Wave energy from passing hurricanes may erode shorelines and uncover and move buried oil leftover by a large spill or by natural seeps in the seafloor. Oil stranded in nearshore submerged oil mats could also be remobilized.

Specifically in regards to the Deepwater Horizon spill, any remaining oil that could re-mobilize would be heavily weathered and would continue to degrade and would not travel long distances along the Gulf Coast. Oil not detected or removed might be transported locally along a shoreline or carried inland to the extent of storm surge, but would not move long distances along or across the Gulf Coast.

In addition to oil, hurricanes can generate huge amounts of debris along shorelines and inland to include damage from boats, cars, households, and facilities. Any fresh oil along the Gulf Coast that is observed during hurricane or non-hurricane events should be reported to the U.S. Coast Guard by calling the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802. For more information:
Office of Response and Restoration

NOAA Deepwater Horizon Archive

NOAA Gulf Spill Restoration

Explore: Oil and Chemical Spills

National Hurricane Center

NOAAWatch

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Oil destroys the insulating ability of fur-bearing mammals, such as sea otters, and the water-repelling abilities of a bird's feathers, thus exposing these creatures to the harsh elements. Without the ability to repel water and insulate from the cold water, birds and mammals will die from hypothermia.

Many birds and animals also ingest oil when they try to clean themselves, which can poison them.

Fish and shellfish may not be exposed immediately, but can come into contact with oil if it is in the water column. When exposed to oil, adult fish may experience reduced growth, enlarged livers, changes in heart and respiration rates, fin erosion, and reproduction impairment. Oil also has effects on eggs and larval survival. For more information:
Office of Response and Restoration
Oil Spill Response (Diving Deeper podcast, 4.7.10)
Spill of National Significance - Preparing for Oil Spill Disasters
Oil in the Ocean
Explore: Oil and Chemical Spills
Oil Spills: Learn More
Effects of Oil Spills on Wildlife and Habitat (pdf),U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Region

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Debris found in this area can easily be ingested by marine species causing choking, starvation, and other impairments.

Because there has been little scientific research conducted in this area, the exact size, content, and location of the garbage patch are difficult to accurately predict. Marine debris concentrates in various areas of the North Pacific – not just the garbage patch.

It appears that the garbage patch referred to in the media is within the North Pacific Subtropical High, an area between Hawaii and California. The North Pacific Subtropical High is not a stationary area, but one that moves and changes. This area is defined by the NOAA National Weather Service as “a semi-permanent, subtropical area of high pressure in the North Pacific Ocean.”

Contrary to what its name implies, the area is not a concentration of trash visible in satellite or aerial photographs. While litter items can be found in this area, along with other debris such as derelict fishing nets, much of the debris mentioned in the media refers to small bits of floating plastic debris– difficult to see with the naked eye. For more information:
NOAA Marine Debris Program
Marine Debris (Diving Deeper podcast, 2.23.09)

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The amount of time that it takes chemicals such as PCBs to breakdown naturally depends on their size, structure, and chemical composition. It can take years to remove these chemicals from the environment and that is why they are still present decades after they have been banned.

There are cleanup alternatives for chemicals in the environment, but this often requires considerable evaluation. Because PCBs exist in sediments, scientists need to determine if it is better to dredge and remove contaminated sediments from waterways or if it is safer to leave the sediments in place and cover with clean sediments, allowing them to naturally biodegrade. A cap or barrier can also be placed over contaminated sediments to prevent them from entering the environment. There are environmental, human health, and financial concerns with all of these alternatives.

PCBs are industrial products or chemicals that were used starting in the 1920s and until their ban in 1979. From the 1920s until their ban, an estimated 1.5 billion pounds of PCBs were made for things such as microscope oils, electrical insulators, capacitors, and electric appliances such as televisions or refrigerators.

For more information:
Office of Response and Restoration
Diving Deeper Podcast, Episode 11 (June 17, 2009) - What are PCBs?

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These chemicals were banned in the U.S. in 1979 amid suggestions that PCBs could have unintended impacts on human and environmental health. From the 1920s until their ban, an estimated 1.5 billion pounds of PCBs were made for things such as microscope oils, electrical insulators, capacitors, and electric appliances such as television sets or refrigerators. PCBs were also sprayed on dirt roads to keep the dust down prior to knowing some of the unintended consequences from widespread use. 

Prior to the ban in 1979, PCBs entered the air, water, and soil during manufacture and use. Wastes from the manufacturing process that contained PCBs were often placed in dump sites or landfills. Occasionally, accidental spills and leaks from these facilities or transformer fires could result in PCBs entering the environment.

PCBs can be found worldwide. In the 1960s, when initial research results were released, traces of PCBs could be detected in people and animals around the world – not only in heavily populated areas such as New York City, but also in remote areas as far as the Arctic. These findings of such widespread and persistent contamination contributed to the banning of the chemical in 1979.

PCBs can degrade or breakdown in the environment, but the process greatly depends on the chemical makeup of the PCBs. The degrading process also depends on where the PCBs are in the environment. Typically, PCBs are either broken down in the environment by sunlight or by microorganisms. Sunlight plays an important role in the breakdown of PCBs when they are in the air, shallow water, or surface soils. Microorganisms, such as bacteria, algae, or fungi, biodegrade PCBs when found in soil or sediments.

For more information:
Office of Response and Restoration
Diving Deeper Podcast, Episode 11 (June 17, 2009) - What are PCBs?

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This process is also known as eutrophication. Excessive amounts of nutrients can lead to more serious problems such as low levels of oxygen dissolved in the water. Severe algal growth blocks light that is needed for plants, such as seagrasses, to grow. When the algae and seagrass die, they decay. In the process of decay, the oxygen in the water is used up and this leads to low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water. This, in turn, can kill fish, crabs, oysters, and other aquatic animals.

Nutrients come from a variety of different sources. They can occur naturally as a result of weathering of rocks and soil in the watershed and they can also come from the ocean due to mixing of water currents. Scientists are most interested in the nutrients that are related to people living in the coastal zone because human-related inputs are much greater than natural inputs. Because there are increasingly more people living in coastal areas, there are more nutrients entering our coastal waters from wastewater treatment facilities, runoff from land in urban areas during rains, and from farming.

All of these factors can lead to increased nutrient pollution.

For more information:
National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
Diving Deeper Podcast, Episode 1 (Jan. 26, 2009) - What is eutrophication?
Nonpoint Source Pollution Tutorial, NOS Education

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Less oxygen dissolved in the water is often referred to as a “dead zone” because most marine life either dies, or, if they are mobile such as fish, leave the area. Habitats that would normally be teeming with life become, essentially, biological deserts.

Hypoxic zones can occur naturally, but scientists are concerned about the areas created or enhanced by human activity. There are many physical, chemical, and biological factors that combine to create dead zones, but nutrient pollution is the primary cause of those zones created by humans. Excess nutrients that run off land or are piped as wastewater into rivers and coasts can stimulate an overgrowth of algae, which then sinks and decomposes in the water. The decomposition process consumes oxygen and depletes the supply available to healthy marine life.

Dead zones occur in many areas of the country, particularly along the East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Lakes, but there is no part of the country or the world that is immune. The second largest dead zone in the world is located in the U.S., in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

For more information:
National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
Diving Deeper Podcast, Episode 12 (Jul. 1, 2009) - What is a dead zone?
Hypoxia and Nutrient Pollution Overview
Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

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Each year, three times as much rubbish is dumped into the world's oceans as the weight of fish caught.

Marine debris injures and kills marine life, interferes with navigation safety, and poses a threat to human health. Our oceans and waterways are polluted with a wide variety of marine debris ranging from soda cans and plastic bags to derelict fishing gear and abandoned vessels. 

Marine debris is defined as any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or the Great Lakes.

Today, there is no place on Earth immune to this problem. A majority of the trash and debris that covers our beaches comes from storm drains and sewers, as well as from shoreline and recreational activities such as picnicking and beachgoing. Abandoned or discarded fishing gear is also a major problem because this trash can can entangle, injure, maim, and drown marine wildlife and damage property.

For more information:
NOAA Marine Debris Program
Coastal Management & Marine Debris, Office of Ocean & Coastal Resource Management


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