Coming our way, tsunami 'debris' with a purpose

Northwest ocean anglers, boaters and beachcombers in the Pacific Northwest are being asked to keep an eye out for electronic instruments released from Japan called transponders.

These floating instruments are about the size of a 2-liter soda bottle and were set in the ocean from different ports off Japan in 2011-12 after the massive Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Researchers from Tattori University for Environmental Studies in Japan have been collaborating with Oregon State University, Oregon Sea Grant, and the NOAA Marine Debris Program on the project.

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The goal is to track the movement of debris via ocean currents and help determine the path and timing of the debris from the 2011 disaster.

An estimated 1.5 million tons of debris was washed out to sea and it is expected to continue drifting ashore along the West Coast for several years, according to Sam Chan, a watershed health specialist with Oregon State University Extension and Oregon Sea Grant.

"These transponders only have a battery life of about 30 months and then they no longer communicate their location," Chan said. "So the only way to find out where they end up is to physically find them and report their location. That's why we need the help of fishermen, beachcombers and other coastal visitors.

"These bottles contain transmitters and they are not a hazardous device, if you find something that looks like an orange soda bottle with a short antenna, we'd certainly like your help in turning it in."

There is writing in English and Japanese on the transponders, and given the amount of time in the water, the orange on the outside may be faded to yellow, Chan said.

If you find a transponder photograph it if possible and report the location of the find and attach a photo for verification to Chan at Samuel.Chan@oregonstate.edu; or to the NOAA Marine Debris Program regional coordinator in their area at http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/contact-us.

They will provide shipping instructions for the transponders so that the instruments can be returned to the research team. You will be paid for the shipping costs, Chan said.

One of the first transponders discovered in the Northwest washed ashore near Arch Cape in March 2013, about 19 months after it was set adrift. The persons who found it reported it to Chan, who began collaborating with researchers in Japan.

Another transponder was found near the Haida Heritage Site, formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands, in British Columbia, the same location where a Harley-Davidson motorcycle floated up on a beach in a shipping container long after being swept out to sea in Japan by the tsunami.

"These transponders have recorded a lot of important data that will help us better understand the movement of tsunami and marine debris throughout the Pacific Ocean," Chan said. "Everyone's help in recovering these instruments is greatly appreciated."