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Detecting Japan Tsunami Marine Debris at Sea: A Synthesis of Efforts and Lessons-Learned

The week of January 5, 2015, the NOAA Marine Debris Program released a technical memo, Detecting Japan Tsunami Marine Debris at Sea: A Synthesis of Efforts and Lessons-Learned, a review of the debris detection efforts that took place in the years following the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in 2011, as well as valuable lessons for the future of marine debris detection.

Before the tsunami, some of the detection technologies – including several types of satellite sensors – had not been used before to find marine debris or were in early stages of testing. Because of the extensive efforts and renewed interest in at-sea detection during the Japan tsunami marine debris (JTMD) response, the marine debris community learned more about marine debris’ behavior and movement and has advanced the state of knowledge on detection of debris at-sea.

Federal, state, and local partners focused on finding JTMD through several detection methods, including observations from aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems, vessels, shoreline observers, and satellites. NOAA paired detection with modeling in order to focus detection resources on areas where the debris was most likely to be located, given the large area of ocean where the debris dispersed.

To learn more and download the report, visit the NOAA Marine Debris Program's website. For more information, contact Peter.Murphy@noaa.gov.

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Small boat being towed through the water, covered with barnacles.
Mariners detected debris such as this boat at sea. (Rights reserved, P. Grillo)
Last updated Tuesday, November 8, 2022 1:53pm PST