How to Handle Wood Debris

By: Nir Barnea, Pacific Northwest Regional Coordinator

Logs and wood debris are common along U.S. West Coast states and Alaska. This year, however, beachgoers – even in Hawaii – may see a larger amount of logs and milled lumber debris on our coastal beaches, such as small beams and other structural lumber.

It is possible that some of these items are from the March 2011 tsunami in Japan and are just now reaching our shores. Wood typically floats lower in the water and may not move as fast as items like Styrofoam, empty plastic bottles, and floats that have arrived on U.S. shorelines in increased numbers for more than a year.

Milled lumber wood debris at Duk Point, WA. This type of wood debris need not be reported or removed. (Photo credit: David Easton)

Ornate wood debris near Florence, OR. Unusual wood debris items should be reported. (Photo credit: ODFW)

Handling Wood Debris
Remove wood debris, or leave it in place?  In most cases, leave it in place. Unless the wood is treated, or contains a lot of nails and other metal, the wood – an organic material – should stay on the beach, decay, and become part of the ecosystem.

Report wood debris? In most cases, there is no need to report wood. If the item is unusual and you believe that it is Japan tsunami marine debris (see above right photo), report it as you would any other item of particular interest.

What about marine growth on wood debris?  Most species on wood debris are not invasive and may be left alone to decay with the wood. For example, many of the tsunami debris items we’ve come across had pelagic gooseneck barnacles attached to them, a common marine organism that is not invasive. Here are a few examples of non-invasive organisms, courtesy of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife:

Gooseneck barnacles

Brown hydroids

Green algae, Gooseneck barnacles, and brown hydroids mix

Aquatic invasive species experts have been collecting samples and studying the species found on marine debris, including the Japan tsunami marine debris. For more information on invasive species go to http://www.anstaskforce.gov/Tsunami.html and http://wdfw.wa.gov/ais/

In Washington State, you may report any item you suspect may be harboring invasive species to 1-855-WACOAST. Please provide date and time, location (GPS coordinates if available), and general description. For more information, go to http://marinedebris.wa.gov/.

Please continue to report items that you believe are related to the Japan tsunami to disasterdebris@noaa.gov or check out all of the sightings reported to NOAA.

Work begins on dock removal in Washington

 

By: Dianna Parker, Communications Specialist

This week, workers began dismantling a 65-foot, 185-ton dock that washed up on a remote coastline in Washington in December. The dock, which is beached within the boundaries of Olympic National Park and NOAA’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, was ripped away from a port in Japan during the March 2011 tsunami. NOAA has contracted The Undersea Company of Port Townsend, Wash., to lead the removal.

The contractor plans to complete removal efforts by the end of March, depending on weather and tidal conditions. To protect contractor and visitor safety while the salvage work is underway, the coastal area of Olympic National Park between Goodman Creek and Jefferson Cove is closed to all public entry. In addition, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary regulations prohibit aircraft from disturbing wildlife by flying below 2,000 feet within one nautical mile of the coast or the offshore islands.

The concrete, Styrofoam, and steel structure is similar to a dock that washed up on Agate Beach in Oregon last summer. According to the Consulate-General of Japan, three of the four floating docks located at the Misawa Fishing Port washed away when the tsunami struck. Fishermen reportedly spotted the third missing dock floating near Oahu, north of Molokai, in Hawaii in September. It has not been located since.

For more photos of the removal operation, visit the Washington Department of Ecology’s Flickr page.

On the Hunt for Aliens at Midway Atoll

 

By: Carey Morishige, Pacific Islands Regional Coordinator

Midway Atoll is a tiny paradise near the center of the North Pacific Ocean,  roughly mid-way between North America and Asia. This unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States sits at the northwestern end of the Hawaiian archipelago and is a National Wildlife Refuge, as well as part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. For me, Midway is simply one of the most amazing places I’ve had the privilege of visiting.

While there I assisted my colleague, Scott Godwin, resource protection specialist with the Monument, on cataloging alien species found both in the nearshore area and on marine debris, particularly potential Japan tsunami marine debris. We were on the hunt for marine invertebrate alien species, such as tunicates, crabs, and tubeworms.

An alien tunicate (Herdmania pallida) found nearshore.

Floating marine debris is an excellent raft for marine alien species, and it can easily transport species from one place to another, far from their home range. One impact of marine debris is the potential introduction of new alien species to an area. This can devastate sensitive or pristine marine ecosystems, such as those found within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

For Japan tsunami marine debris, items of particular interest are those that originated in the nearshore areas of Japan, such as a boat or floating pier. These items floated in nearshore waters long enough to have accumulated communities of marine organisms native to Japan. These organisms would be alien species, some potentially invasive, to our islands. Floating debris can also serve as a raft for pelagic (open ocean) species, such as the gooseneck barnacle. This species, and other common pelagic species, are not of great concern here in Hawaii because they are specifically adapted to the open ocean environment and would not survive in our nearshore areas (and thus not likely to become invasive).

While on the hunt, we found a couple of marine debris items that appeared to have alien species on them. We collected samples of each of the organisms, and Scott will work with his colleagues in the academic community on species identification. While this information will not tell us if the debris item was indeed lost with the March 2011 tsunami in Japan, it may reveal more information about its original location.

Polystyrene marine debris found with common gooseneck barnacles on the bottom as well as a couple of likely alien species: A) acorn barnacles and 2) calcareous tubeworm.

For more information on alien species on Japan tsunami marine debris, please visit http://anstaskforce.gov/Tsunami.html.

Looking for debris from the sky, ctd

By Peter Murphy, Alaska Regional Coordinator, NOAA Marine Debris Program

One of the challenges NOAA faces when addressing marine debris is finding it.  That may seem odd when you think of bottles and trash on your nearest beach, but it becomes much more difficult in the open ocean.  Debris – including items from the 2011 tsunami in Japan – is difficult to locate reliably.

In addition to the fact that debris sometimes floats just below the water’s surface, it can be spread out across huge stretches of ocean. Imagine a search area roughly three times the size of the continental United States.  Even when we look at an area where we know there is likely to be debris, we may not detect anything.  That could be because there isn’t anything there to see (less likely) or because our sensors aren’t able to detect what is there (more likely).

However, NOAA is looking at many innovative ways to solve that challenge. Earlier this summer, we tested an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) off the coast of Oʻahu to see if it might be an effective new technology to help locate debris at sea.

The test was a good step forward in the process. Since then, many people have asked whether we’re ready to use the UAS to locate tsunami debris. The answer is no, not yet.

What did we do?

During the test, researchers placed simulated debris of varying sizes, shapes and buoyancies in the water and launched the UAS (which resembles a model airplane) from a vessel over the items. We also took advantage of the fact that we had control over the debris’ location to test whether different satellite sensors could detect it in the water.

In the end, the plane’s camera was able to capture clear images of the debris in the water and the vessel itself. We are still analyzing the satellite imagery, which can be tricky if there’s cloud cover, to see which sensors could detect the debris.

We still have many more questions to answer and logistics to work out before a UAS can be applied to real-world marine debris detection.  We’ll keep you updated on next steps, but until then, here are a few photos from the demonstration:

Looking for debris from the sky

By: Dianna Parker, Communications Specialist, NOAA Marine Debris Program

*JUNE 22 UPDATE - The test went as expected, despite rough seas and some cloud cover. We’re in the process of analyzing the results.*

This week, NOAA researchers will launch a Puma Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) to determine whether it can detect marine debris off the coast of Oʻahu. The test is one of NOAA’s efforts to identify effective technologies for locating marine debris at sea—including debris from the Japan tsunami.

During the test, NOAA staff aboard two vessels will have the UAS as well as debris of varying sizes, materials, and buoyancy, including fishing nets, wooden construction debris, small buoys, and large buoys. Researchers will place the debris in the ocean as a “control” and then launch the UAS over the different items—hoping that the UAS will identify the debris.

If all goes as planned, the UAS will then send information back to NOAA in the form of high-resolution imagery. Additionally, scientists will test seven different satellite sensors and their ability to detect debris’ location and shape.

Puma UAS over open ocean. Credit: Will von Dauster / NOAA

The operation is part of a larger, two-day demonstration by NOAA’s UAS Program to explore how this technology can enhance management of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. If successful, the UAS could be used in remote marine protected areas worldwide for activities such as marine wildlife surveys for sea turtles, monk seals and sea birds.

After the debris test, scientists will come away with a better understanding of which satellites sensors are capable of seeing different items under certain conditions, or if the satellites don’t detect the debris, we’ll still come away with equally valuable information on what works and what doesn’t.

There’s no one thing that’s going to give us a clear picture of the Japan tsunami marine debris, but this is one of the many tools we’re using to complete the puzzle. NOAA will continue to explore other detection technologies, modeling, monitoring, and voluntary at-sea observation in our efforts to protect our trust resources and coastal communities.

We’ll be sure to give an update after the test. Stay tuned.

Soccer ball lost during tsunami found in Alaska

By: Dianna Parker, Communications Specialist, NOAA Marine Debris Program

A soccer ball that recently washed up on a remote Alaskan shore may belong to a teenager impacted by last year’s devastating tsunami in Japan. It’s likely to be one of the first items to return home after traveling thousands of miles across the North Pacific Ocean.

The Office of Response and Restoration’s Doug Helton and the NOAA Marine Debris Program’s Neal Parry have the story:

An observant beach comber on Middleton Island, in the Gulf of Alaska, found a soccer ball and volleyball with Japanese writing on them. A school name is stenciled on the soccer ball, and his wife was able to translate the writing to trace it to a school. We have confirmed that the school was in the tsunami zone, but because the school is set up on a hill, it wasn’t seriously impacted.

A Japanese broadcasting station aired a photo of the ball and was able to locate 16 year-old Misaki Murakami, who recognized the ball and the messages written on it. One reportedly says, “Good luck, Murakami!!” He says he lost it, along with the rest of his possessions.