With all the media hype about the tsunami debris, and misperceptions about existing marine debris issues such as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch," it's really great that Carey traveled to Maui from her home base on Oahu to give this presentation not once but three times, first at the Maui Ocean Center in Ma'alaea, then in Kihei at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, and again in Lahaina at Princess Nahienaena elementary school. She did a great job highlighting what is known and what is not known, and deftly fielded a variety of questions, many of which revealed a number of misperceptions, but more notably, indicate that the community is concerned and eager to learn more about the issue. A packed house on a Friday night is another good indication...yes, I could have been at Wailuku First Friday eating deep fried poi mochi, but I wasn't going to miss this talk!
Side note: for those interested in the science of the 'garbage patch,' check out the SEAPLEX blog, managed by Miriam Goldstein, a PhD student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and writer at Deep Sea News. I have to admit I am a nerdy fan of all of Miriam's writing, so go check it out.
To make this blogging thing easier and more manageable for me, I am going to recycle the comments I posted on facebook, and beef them up a bit with links and new resources. These are the Take-Home Messages, and the type of things I'd like to post more of in future, for other talks. (And if you're familiar with the purpose of this blog, you know that we have invited others to submit their summaries of community presentations as well - so please contact me about joining the team if you're interested!) I think this is the strategy I will use to make these types of posts do-able, because I'm usually trying to cover things like this through Facebook and/or Twitter. So if we're not already connected on social media, now you know when you see me at these talks with my iPhone that I'm not doing email or whatever, I'm trying to document the presentation and capture as much as I can. OK, enough of my inner monologue, let's get to the presentation...
Some Interesting Facts and Resources I Noted During Carey's Presentation:
• Japan's Ministry of the Environment estimates that 5 million tons of debris washed into the ocean.
• They also estimate that 70% of that debris sank near the coast of Japan.
• They also estimate that 70% of that debris sank near the coast of Japan.
• By April 14th 2011, NOAA's satellites could no longer
detect debris. Debris is now dispersed & not in large concentrations or
fields.
• The majority of the modeled particles are still dispersed
north and east of the Hawaiian archipelago.
Note: This image is from a model (last updated 5/15/12) and depicts a prediction of the location of debris. The area with the ++s also doesn't denote a "field," it just represents the area with the highest predicted concentrations of debris particles from this computer simulation. To see the full size image (which was part of a handout Carey provided), and updated models, visit the NOAA Japan Tsunami Debris Info & FAQ page.
• So while the bulk of the debris may be away from the MHI, the
"high windage" materials (stuff that floats higher like rafts, buoys
or soccer balls) could potentially be seen here as early as this summer.
• No confirmed reports yet of debris in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or the Main Hawaiian Islands.
• Radioactivity above normal is highly unlikely - debris washed
out days before the Fukushima-Daiichi power plant incident. Hawaii Dept. of
Health has been monitoring since April 2011 on quarterly basis.
• They DON'T KNOW how much debris remains still floating.
Figures in most media (5-20+ million tons) are unsubstantiated.
• Marine debris is an every day problem and has been for decades
in Hawaii. It's difficult to source debris specific to the Japan tsunami.
• To date, there have been seven confirmed Japan Tsunami Marine Debris findings in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, with interesting stories,
including a soccer ball, Harley Davidson, and a buoy from a restaurant sign that
will be returned to the owner.
• NOAA has a Shoreline Monitoring Guide and an email (disasterdebris@noaa.gov)
you can
report shoreline debris sightings to; they have put out a general call for
those at sea and by the shoreline if "unusual or significant" amounts
of debris are seen. Also, HIHWNMS will be working with the NOAA Marine Debris Program to establish some community protocols - so stay tuned and I'll post more about that when it comes together.
• There is also a Joint Information Center website managed
by the west coast states & British Columbia, Canada to promote communication and the sharing of
resources, or as they put it, "Bringing You
Accurate Information, All in One Place."
More Stuff to Check out:
• Here is a rundown of media stories posted by the Joint Information Center. The website notes, "If you review a story and believe the information is inaccurate, we encourage you to contact the news organization and/or reporter directly to assist them in providing better information so they can correct their story if it is inaccurate or unclear. If you have a link to a news story you believe will assist us in news media monitoring, we welcome you to share it with us."
• Have a smartphone? There is a marine debris tracker app you can download. Check it out!
• Worried about radioactive tuna? Here's a blog post by Miriam Goldstein at Deep Sea News that separates fact from fiction and hype.
• The NOAA Marine Debris Program has a facebook page - go "like" it!
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