AUGUST 27, 2015 -- On a visit to San Francisco, California, last week, students from Japan's Hitachi Dai Ichi High School participated in a lecture on "Japan Tsunami Marine Debris: Disaster Debris and the Existing Problem."

Hitachi Dai Ichi is designated as a "Super Science High School" with annual science field trips funded by Japan's Ministry of Education. The students learned about the marine debris issue, impacts, prevention, and the U.S. response to debris generated by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

A major take-home message from the presentation was that although the debris generated by the tsunami in Japan was significant, it is a drop in the bucket compared to the everyday issue of marine debris.

NOAA and our partners continue to respond to and remove debris washing ashore on U.S. shorelines, but the most effective approach moving forward is to prevent additional debris from entering our oceans in the first place.

For more information, contact Sherry Lippiatt.

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