Sailing into the tsunami debris field 

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Podcasting this week on cbc radio were examining some of the issues surrounding the millions of tons of tsunami debris floating towards the west coast of north america us research vessel is sailing the pacific this month and next in search of debris from japan scientists with the elderly to marine research institute in california want to find out firsthand without their marcus ericsson 's the man leading the expedition and with the goal of this expedition will and you and i are starting an activist from debris on the on the ocean so receipt is how much is out there i was stewing to marine life will confer these are sticking to plastics although oil prices i think there is an end on the first leg of the expedition were were heading to tokyo what did you observe them and we just got off the boat about two days ago from material at the marshall islands to tokyo two thousand miles out a lot of the typical debris you find any in the ocean old fishing nets all tangled bottles but we did find a few large styrofoam pieces of leaves and broken ice chests ' bottles things that i can't say for sure related but his degree ejaculating in the western garbage the consensus is the garbage of the these sources since unfortunately was it it is a slow scenario the last forty years of classic regular touristy and so that you expect to find a lot more this nominee related to the flotsam on your journey of zero find some your your my reports of stuff that's making its way to the coastline things that have a car and a winner profile above the ocean like that is a dereliction harley-davidson the basketball thing from load of high catch landon your crotch of my now subsurface felt like i overturn boats were just all exposed any coating method of the surface is only halfway across you to yourself in tokyo and the duty of three thousand miles four thousand miles into the heart of this loss of three ss while the debris were about a thousand miles in diameter that huge relations on this debris field and they will go through that themselves write down south molly will know the weeks ahead exactly how much debris per square kilometer we can expect and what and what kind of rear left click clears what is the reason this is and what isn't i not all it's very hard to tell after year you can have all kinds of growth of the particles and perhaps things like these artificial reef communities that the reader comes very quickly to tell what is and what isn't it will be difficult to say.

We know consumer region before what there was before a few years ago now the confusing compared to what is now in the pump and debris will tell us what how much more supposedly in the insula smart the research will you do with them was important to business opening is important to know just what headed our way am i looking california myself i know for california washington oregon british columbia alaska we wouldn't know which the consortium so much of the debris that subsurface you may begin to see this increase in debris washing ashore in the next year you're now from the law that may come to the coastline and pushed south california current detroit lions and back to hawaii tracy agreed that the west coast also washed up on hawaii shorelines and what's important about this debris is you can't see it it is subsurface which also poses as a shipping hazard for small boats and should die out for overturned boat holds that could be tires inflated stolen rims still bobbing along oil drums refrigerators are holding buoyant foam physician that is a navigational hazard concerned about season diesel is able to teach in the way that the hazards poses to breathe poses to marine lungs we know from his research without foundation five jars of debris does it is ingested by marine life all the plastic out there that i think is that your site every obelisk on the glass and metals have disappeared the plastic leftist breaking into small little flakes of fish we find them inside stomachs of fish which were concerned about its impact on fisheries every life working on the sea surface is bulk of no micro plastics likely chemicals and plastics was inside efficiency it was that the ongoing research of the as it sounds to me as the personal notes in the depressing 's will is will that says that plastic is to just floating out there in the ocean it is and i think once you know and i can actually talk to people felt the best best intentions also what we do about it people can be hopeful of a figure solution solution is turn off the tap on cindy's plastic philosophy ) into that eligible to get itself arises as a lesson that's little less than planning for the degree along the shores of the west coast of north america based when he seen so far to think we're ready to handle the debris that's honestly i think ready i will prevent beachcombers out there for decades it is an extra years i think for further navigational hazards to assure voters to drive horizon you see it is a large vote for a tangled ball of netting reports that i location i look with the coast guard now and they cannot " retrieve and show.

The marcus ericsson to hear from you this morning thank you virginia or call thank you so much that was marcus ericsson research scientist with the elderly summary research institute in california and the cbc you would like to hear from you if you have any photos or accounts of the tsunami debris along the west coast go to her website cbc.

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