Terms of Reference

Transport of Marine Debris from the 2011 Tōhoku Tsunami to the West Coast of Canada

Science Special Response Process (SSRP) - Pacific Region

March 6, 2012
Sidney, British Columbia

November 5, 2012: Update
Sidney, British Columbia

Chairperson: John Holmes

Context

A magnitude 9.0 mega-thrust earthquake occurred under the ocean about 70 km off the north-east coast of Japan on 11 March 2011. This earthquake and the resulting tsunami that it generated caused widespread destruction and loss of life in Japan. The tsunami inundated low lying coastal areas of the Tōhoku region of Honshu Island and, in several instances, entire villages were swept away by the surging waters. A vast collection of debris produced by the tsunami was swept into the ocean by the retreating waters and is presently being transported and dispersed by ocean currents in the north Pacific Ocean.

Multiple requests for information have been received by DFO in recent months from other Canadian Federal Departments (Public Safety Canada, Transport Canada, Environment Canada, Health Canada) and the Province of British Columbia (Emergency Management BC) concerning the potential for debris from the Tōhoku tsunami to reach Canadian waters and, should debris arrive, the timing and potential environmental impact(s) of that debris. In addition, Canadian Coast Guard staff have received questions related to the potential for navigational hazards associated with the debris.

DFO Science reviewed and snythesized existing data and relevant model outputs distributed publicly by the Univeristy of Hawaii and the governments of the United States (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration) and Japan to provide an initial assessment of the trajectory and impacts of the debris in Canadian waters. This assessment is intended to support DFO and other government agencies with the identification of potential risks related to the debris arrival and the development of response plans, if necessary. This Science Special Response peer review process will review the results of DFO’s rapid initial response assessment. This review is not intended to be a detailed reivew of the models developed and published elsewhere, but rather it will consider whether the appropriate data and methods have been applied by DFO and whether the resulting conclusions are defensible in light of the methods used and need for a rapid response.

Objectives

The objective of this Regional Peer Review Meeting (RPR) is to provide science information related to the potential for debris from the March 2011 Tōhoku tsunami to reach Canadian waters along the British Columbia shoreline. The following Science Special Response Working Paper was drafted and will be reviewed to answer the specific questions outlined below:

Cummins, Patrick.  Transport of Marine Debris from the 2011 Tōhoku Tsunami to the West Coast of Canada. CSAP Working Paper 2011/P61.

Specific questions to be addressed at the RPR :

1. When and where is debris from the 2011 Tōhoku tsunami expected to reach Canadian waters and shorelines?
2. What types of material are expected in the debris and what is the estimated quantity of material likely to enter Canadian waters and/or reach shorelines?
3. What monitoring of the debris is occurring while it drifts at sea from a Canadian/international perspective?
4. What risks, if any, does this debris pose for species, habitats, and ecosystems in Canadian waters? and,
5. What are the potential navigational impacts in Canadian waters?

Expected publications

• CSAS Science Response (1)

Participation

• DFO Science Branch
• Public Safety Canada
• Province of British Columbia, Emergency Management BC
• US NOAA