Beyond the devastation already reeked in Japan itself, the impact of the Japanese tsunami will be felt around the world and for many years to come.
Researchers at the International Pacific Research Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa are tracking the tsunami debris from Japan. They're using real time satellite data from 15,000 drifting buoys and what they know about ocean currents. You can view the animated projection of the debris here and see it hitting Hawaii below.
They expect the first debris will hit the main Hawaiian Islands in about two years. Then in five years it will double back and hit Hawaii again and ultimately end up in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, just north of Hawaii.
Think of Hawaii and you think of a diving paradise; but this is a paradise next to the biggest dump in the world and when the tsunami debris hits, it’s going to get a lot bigger.
But it’s not just Hawaii; it will make landfall at Washington, Oregon and California before hand.
Can anyone know the full extent of the impact this will have on the marine eco-systems of these areas? And what steps, if any, are being taken to minimize the damage?
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