“A Russian ship discovered a small Japanese fishing boat in the waters north of Hawaii in October that was definitively tied to the tsunami, and it was about where we thought it should be, given the currents.”-Jack Barth, Oregon State University

11 months after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunamis hit Japan, and started the worlds biggest nuclear disaster, the radioactive flotsam is still a few months away from the West Coast of North America.

According to the Yamhill Valley News, in the U.S. state of Oregon, officials and non-governmental organizations are preparing.  So when do they think the March 11 debris will begin arriving, and which way will it go when it hits the coast line?

“Much of the debris generated from the earthquake and tsunami has or will become waterlogged, weighed down with barnacles or other organisms, and sink. A large fraction of it will be diverted south into the ‘Garbage Patch’ between Hawaii and the West Coast, and may circulate in that gyre. What remains should arrive here at the end of 2012, or the beginning of 2013.  If it arrives in the fall and winter, it will get pushed up north by the currents to Washington, British Columbia and even Alaska. Debris arriving in late spring and summer will hit Oregon and be swept south into California waters.”-Jack Barth, Oregon State University

Note that the university official is talking about the debris that was instantly swept out to sea by the tsunamis.  The radiation contamination of the Pacific Ocean began days after that, and is continuing.

“The major air and water discharges of radioactive material from the Daiichi plants occurred a few days after the debris field was created by the tsunami…wind, rain and salt spray have been pummeling this material for months. The key radionuclides are composed of iodine and cesium….Most of the iodine has gone because of radioactive decay. The radioactive cesium, to a great extent, will be washed off and diluted in the surrounding ocean.”-Kathryn Higley, Oregon State University

However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is warning people to use common sense when picking up objects found on the west coast beaches.  They even have a website for beachgoers: http://marinedebris.noaa.gov

The Japanese Consulate in Seattle, Washington, is asking anyone who finds personal possessions on the beach to please return them to Japan.