地震與海嘯

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http://www.worldjournal.com
世界新聞網-北美華文新聞、華商資訊 -

面積相當三個德州 海嘯殘骸漂美西

3月11日日本發生的芮氏規模9.0強震引發的巨型海嘯，摧毀了逾20萬幢建築物，
並把它們捲進太平洋，如今這些大片垃圾正漂往美國西岸，面積據估計相當於三
個德州。

英國「每日郵報」引述報告說，目前被海嘯捲到太平洋的汽車、拖車、船隻甚至
整間房屋正在公海漂浮。有美國海洋學家甚至預測，仍然穿著鞋子的人體斷肢，
也將於三年內漂至美國西岸。

西雅圖海洋學家埃貝斯邁爾(Curtis Ebbesmeyer)表示，數千具遺體被捲出海
後，大部分四肢會斷開並在海水中分解，穿著鞋子的腳則會繼續漂浮。漁船和浮
在海面的漂流物會受風吹影響，可能需約一年漂到華盛頓州、俄勒岡州和加州，
北太平洋環流會再把垃圾帶到夏威夷州，最後又漂回亞洲。木塊或家具則可能要
漂二至三年。

[Guest]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1374520/Japan-earthquake-
tsunami-debris-floating-US-West-Coast.html#ixzz1J2Useinm

Cars, whole houses and even severed feet in shoes: The vast field of
debris from Japan earthquake and tsunami that's floating towards
U.S. West Coast

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
8th April 2011


A vast field of debris, swept out to sea following the Japan earthquake
and tsunami, is floating towards the U.S. West Coast, it has emerged.

More than 200,000 buildings were washed out by the enormous
waves that followed the 9.0 quake on March 11.

There have been reports of cars, tractor-trailers, capsized ships
and even whole houses bobbing around in open water.

But even more grisly are the predictions of U.S. oceanographer
Curtis Ebbesmeyer, who is expecting human feet, still in their shoes,
to wash up on the West Coast within three years.

'I'm expecting parts of houses, whole boats and feet in sneakers
to wash up,' Mr Ebbesmeyer, a Seattle oceanographer who has
spent decades tracking flotsam, told MailOnline.

Several thousand bodies were washed out to sea following the
disaster and while most of the limbs will come apart and break
down in the water, feet encased in shoes will float, Mr Ebbesmeyer
said.

Members of the U.S. Navy's 7th fleet, who spotted the extraordinary
floating rubbish, say they have never seen anything like it and are
warning the debris now poses a threat to shipping traffic.

'It's very challenging to move through these to consider these
boats run on propellers and that these fishing nets or other debris
can be dangerous to the vessels that are actually trying to do the
work,' Ensign Vernon Dennis told ABC News.

'So getting through some of these obstacles doesn't make much
sense if you are going to actually cause more debris by having your
own vessel become stuck in one of these waterways.'

Scientists say the first bits of debris from Japan are due to reach the
West Coast in a year's time after being carried by currents toward
Washington, Oregon and California.

They will then turn toward Hawaii and back again toward Asia,
circulating in what is known as the North Pacific Gyre, said Mr Ebbesmeyer,

Mr Ebbesmeyer, who has traced Nike sneakers, plastic bath toys
and hockey gloves accidentally spilled from Asia cargo ships, is now
tracking the massive debris field moving across the Pacific Ocean
from Japan.

He relies heavily on a network of thousands of beachcombers to
report the location and details of their finds.

'If you put a major city through a trash grinder and sprinkle it on
the water, that's what you're dealing with,' he said.

Some of the debris to hit the West Coast may be radioactive
following the devastation at Japanese nuclear power plants,
according to James Hevezi, chair of the American College of

Radiology Commission on Medical Physics.

'But it would be very low risk,' Hevezi said. 'The amount that would
be on the stuff by the time it reached the West Coast would be
minimal.'

Only a small portion of that debris will wash ashore, and how fast
it gets there and where it lands depends on buoyancy, material
and other factors.

Fishing vessels or items that poke out of the water and are more
likely influenced by wind may show up in a year, while items like
lumber pieces, survey stakes and household items may take two
to three years, he said.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1374520/Japan-earthquake-tsunami-debris-floating-US-West-Coast.html?ito=feeds-newsxml