Styrofoam, a sadly commonplace find on West Coast beaches, has been washing up in greater amounts as debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami makes landfall.
As surfers, we’re often the first observers when things go awry offshore. Even on California’s more remote beaches, I rarely leave without having scooped a plastic bottle off the sand or removed a bag that’s wedged into the waveslope. Trash on the beach is the norm instead of the exception. But progress has been made.
If you brought up the subject of ocean trash with someone not directly involved in environmental activism a few years ago, most people would’ve had little idea about the extent of the problem. Now, mention how littered the seas are with our garbage and even the most landlocked listener is apt to respond that, yeah, they’ve heard about “that big garbage patch in the Pacific.”
Adding to the problem is the estimated 1.5 million tons of debris that washed into the Pacific after the horrifying tsunami hit Japan last year. Some of that debris has already landed in Alaska, Washington and Oregon. NOAA modelssuggest California is next – the agency has already been deluged with reports of possible tsunami debris landing on the state’s central and south coast shores.
Even with scientific models, questions remain unanswered. Only a small percentage of the tsunami debris is expected to make landfall. The rest of it will likely end up adding to the North Pacific Gyre. While we can’t perfectly predict what will happen, we can prepare for it. In far northern California, Ocean Conservancy has partnered with NOAA to do monthly shoreline monitoring to establish baseline – essentially, to track how much trash on the beach is “normal.” Further south, Surfrider’s Sonoma Chapter and Santa Monica’s Heal the Bay are involved in similar projects.
As the people who spend the most time at the beach, surfers will be likely be among the first to discover tsunami debris – sometimes in hazardous situations, as vessels, docks and other large pieces turn up. The trash we all throw away every day hurts our ocean, entangles marine animals, enters the food web and threatens overall ocean health.
Ocean Conservancy’s Marine Debris Specialist Nick Mallos elaborated recently:
“Ocean trash is a very real problem. Aesthetically, marine debris creates visual pollution in otherwise pristine landscape. Economically, the cost of daily beach cleaning is in the millions of dollars, while maritime industries confront significantly higher costs. Environmentally, marine debris impacts a diverse range of marine wildlife globally, many of which are listed as threatened or endangered.”
What can the average person do? Small actions that make a big difference like reducing overall consumption, especially of single-use items.
- Make sure the trash you do make doesn’t end up in the ocean.
- Support legislation aimed at reducing garbage.
- Pick up the trash you find.
- Take part in a beach cleanup – like the International Coastal Cleanup, coming up on September 15. You can find a local site near you at signuptocleanup.org. Be on the lookout for possible debris with Ocean Conservancy’s Tsunami Debris Field Guide, which gives a list of the most likely debris and who to contact in case you spot something. Remind others that a clean ocean means healthy fish, safer seafood and a better economy.
The idea of finding tsunami debris has captured the public’s attention. It has given heartwarming stories about valuable and sentimental items being returned to people who lost so much in the catastrophe and the scary reports of invasive species. While less sensational, the ongoing problem of ocean trash still looms large. The tsunami debris resulted from an unpreventable natural event. The daily deposit of garbage into our seas doesn’t have to happen – and the cleaner our ocean is to begin with, the more resilient it will be when these disasters do happen.
