Tsunami debris in shipping lanes

[Juanita462]

an interesting comment in the news today that the debris from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami will gradually make it's way to Hawaii and the West Coast over the next 3 years - but may also cause problems in the shipping lanes.

Never thought of that - not something a cruise ship would want to encounter on the high seas!

[searaider]

news this am, stated that it is approximately 2 years to come to BC and Washington State. They are tracking some houses and vehicles, as well as large pools of various other items. Imagine the houses will break up and vehicles will sink, but other debris will make its way here. Makes one wonder if the water being released from the reactors will make it here (I live on the west coast of Vancouver Island.) around the same time?

[KirkNC]

You would think it would break up over that time and distance but maybe not.

Kirk

[JJPacer]

On our return from the Panama Canal, we saw evidence of the Guilf Oil Spill in the ocean about 400 mi. from the coast of Fl. just last month. It was a line of oil and went as far as the eye could see. Very sad. So much debri was caused by the Tsunami, it would not be a suprise to see it in the ocean for a long time to come. Nor would I be surprised to see it wash up on shore anywhere west of Japan.

[Boytjie]

Makes one wonder if the water being released from the reactors will make it here (I live on the west coast of Vancouver Island.) around the same time?

The amount of water released compared to the size of the Pacific ocean and the decay of radioactivity will dilute is so much that it will most likely have no real effect.

[Juanita462]

I wish I could feel that sure about the radioactive material not reaching our shores - the half life of iodine 131 is 8 days but the half life of cesium 137 and 134 - which is also in the water being released into the ocean - is 30 years and 2 years respectively.

If the particles are suspended in the water around the nuclear facilities, they will also be suspended in sea water too and they will make their way up the food chain in the ocean.

Searaider - we live on the east coast of Vancouver Island and when I look out at the beautiful ocean it makes me feel ill to think of it being contaminated by nuclear waste.

[Boytjie]

I wish I could feel that sure about the radioactive material not reaching our shores - the half life of iodine 131 is 8 days but the half life of cesium 137 and 134 - which is also in the water being released into the ocean - is 30 years and 2 years respectively.

If the particles are suspended in the water around the nuclear facilities, they will also be suspended in sea water too and they will make their way up the food chain in the ocean.

Searaider - we live on the east coast of Vancouver Island and when I look out at the beautiful ocean it makes me feel ill to think of it being contaminated by nuclear waste.

Most of the radioactive material in the water is iodine-131

[jhannah]

I would imagine ship traffic is scanning carefully for debris that would cause them a problem. There is junk floating everywhere ... but generally smaller pieces of wood and such that are simply knocked out of the way.

[Juanita462]

The Japanese company announced yesterday that the water contained 7.5 million times the legal limit of iodine 131 and 1.1 million times the legal limit of cesium 137

they have already banned fishing for a certain species of fish that were found to contain high levels of both.

We are supposed to stop at 3 Japanese ports next fall - I am wondering, if the ship fills the water tanks in Seattle and then it takes 9 days to cross the ocean - will they need to refill the tanks at the first stop or will they distill from the ocean? I have read that distilling does not remove radioactive particles.

[dmwnc1959]

As rough as the north Pacific Ocean is in winter, and if it takes 3 years for the debris to reach the US west coast, I suspect most of it will be pummeled into harmless sized peices or sink to the bottom.

[almare]

The Japanese company announced yesterday that the water contained 7.5 million times the legal limit of iodine 131 and 1.1 million times the legal limit of cesium 137

they have already banned fishing for a certain species of fish that were found to contain high levels of both.

We are supposed to stop at 3 Japanese ports next fall - I am wondering, if the ship fills the water tanks in Seattle and then it takes 9 days to cross the ocean - will they need to refill the tanks at the first stop or will they distill from the ocean? I have read that distilling does not remove radioactive particles.

Where does the water used in the swimming pools come from when we cruise from Hakodate to Kobe?


Ron

[goodearth]

There are many things that people don't expect to make it across the ocean intact...........Japanese glass floats were found for decades on west coast beaches. We found the infamous Nike sports shoes washing up on shore years ago. The ocean is not a big garbage can where things magically disappear once inside. In America, it seems that many people believe if the danger (radiation, debris, oil, etc) isn't in their backyard, then it's "no problemo". Deepwater horizon, nuclear runoff, .....no big deal, the ocean will "clean up" the man made messes.......... :(

[solocanadian]

When visiting the West Coast of Vancouver Island I've seen Japanese fishing floats so can't see why some of the other junk won't come ashore in time.:eek:

[Krazy Kruizers]

thanks for this information

this is the first that i had heard about all the debris making its way into the shipping lanes and beyond

[dan1618]

news this am, stated that it is approximately 2 years to come to BC and Washington State. They are tracking some houses and vehicles, as well as large pools of various other items. Imagine the houses will break up and vehicles will sink, but other debris will make its way here. Makes one wonder if the water being released from the reactors will make it here (I live on the west coast of Vancouver Island.) around the same time?

The radiation-contaminated water would be diluted and mixed evenly into the entire ocean, so that isn't a concern.

[dan1618]

The Japanese company announced yesterday that the water contained 7.5 million times the legal limit of iodine 131 and 1.1 million times the legal limit of cesium 137

they have already banned fishing for a certain species of fish that were found to contain high levels of both.

We are supposed to stop at 3 Japanese ports next fall - I am wondering, if the ship fills the water tanks in Seattle and then it takes 9 days to cross the ocean - will they need to refill the tanks at the first stop or will they distill from the ocean? I have read that distilling does not remove radioactive particles.

Where are these stats coming from? In my research, the only stats I could find said that the cesium 137 levels were 20x normal and the iodine 131 was 1150x normal. That's a lot, but a long ways from 7.5 million and 1.1 million.

The particles will be spread and diluted long before arriving here. The greatest danger is when they are in high concentrations. That will no longer be the case by the time they have mixed in with and traveled the entire ocean.

[goodearth]

This disaster is not a 'done deal'..........the latest issue is the Tuna will start their migration from Japan's coastal waters to the west coast of America. When they swim in the highly concentrated radiation waters--then migrate, the radiation will not disappear from their bodies no matter how big the ocean is. Questions are being raised about the safety of the fish by the West Coast fishermen who do not want to harvest or sell "fallout" fish. I believe it is premature to say everything will dissipate in the ocean water and won't be a risk. Radiation IS a risk to everything in that water. And the whole incident has not reached a final containment stage...............so saying anything in past tense at this point is premature.

[BruceMuzz]

The Japanese dumped the equivalent of a dozen swimming pools of contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean. It was truly a terrible thing, but they had no other choice.

In the 1950s and 1960s the Brits, French and Americans had a choice. They chose to detonate dozens of large nuclear bombs under the South Pacific Ocean, in the South Pacific Ocean, above the South Pacific Ocean, and on islands in the South Pacific Ocean.
They contaminated hundreds of thousands of cubic MILES of Pacific Ocean water, rendered hundreds of islands uninhabitable, and spread radiation in the air all around the earth.

If you Google the current research being done on those vast areas, you will be happy to learn that the background air, water, and ground radiation in those South Pacific areas today is lower than in New York City, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, Tucson, Chattanooga, and Niagara Falls.

[goodearth]

The Japanese dumped the equivalent of a dozen swimming pools of contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean. It was truly a terrible thing, but they had no other choice.

In the 1950s and 1960s the Brits, French and Americans had a choice. They chose to detonate dozens of large nuclear bombs under the South Pacific Ocean, in the South Pacific Ocean, above the South Pacific Ocean, and on islands in the South Pacific Ocean.
They contaminated hundreds of thousands of cubic MILES of Pacific Ocean water, rendered hundreds of islands uninhabitable, and spread radiation in the air all around the earth.

If you Google the current research being done on those vast areas, you will be happy to learn that the background air, water, and ground radiation in those South Pacific areas today is lower than in New York City, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, Tucson, Chattanooga, and Niagara Falls.

So your point is: Man has a free pass to do whatever he wants? I think the people of Japan and Chernobyl would disagree, as do I. I am concerned about the future, and know I can do nothing about the past, but learn from it.
What is the saying? Those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it. No disrespect intended but "Google" doesn't make anyone an expert. It's up to people to cogitate what they are reading................

[Fattony]

I wish I could feel that sure about the radioactive material not reaching our shores - the half life of iodine 131 is 8 days but the half life of cesium 137 and 134 - which is also in the water being released into the ocean - is 30 years and 2 years respectively.

If the particles are suspended in the water around the nuclear facilities, they will also be suspended in sea water too and they will make their way up the food chain in the ocean.

Searaider - we live on the east coast of Vancouver Island and when I look out at the beautiful ocean it makes me feel ill to think of it being contaminated by nuclear waste.

If, as I suspect, Godzilla is once again aroused by the combination of eathquakes and radioactivity, that will have a bigger potential to disrupt cruises than would random debris from the tsunami. I have a sneaking suspicion that many travel insurance policies have a Godzilla-exclusion-clause, even if they don't publicize it.

I do think that there are lots of other things to worry about on a cruise before getting to tsnuami-caused debris. There's lots and lots and lots of junk out there in the ocean, both solid and non-solid. More goes into all of the oceans each day. It's having an effect on both sealife and human life.

[BruceMuzz]

So your point is: Man has a free pass to do whatever he wants? I think the people of Japan and Chernobyl would disagree, as do I. I am concerned about the future, and know I can do nothing about the past, but learn from it.
What is the saying? Those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it. No disrespect intended but "Google" doesn't make anyone an expert. It's up to people to cogitate what they are reading................

Actually, you did not understand my point.

What has happened in Japan is a terrible tragedy.
What happened in the South Pacific was an even worse tragedy - as bad as when the USA used weapons of mass destruction on Japan in 1945.

But we need to keep our tragedies in perspective.

The daily background radiation in Denver Colorado today is higher than the highest radiation measured just outside the Fukushima Nuclear Plant this week.
But nobody is getting into a panic over Denver. You should.

Back in the 1940s, the US Government was mining and processing uranium ore in Niagara Falls, New York. They just dumped the leavings along several highways in the area. Today the background radiation along some of those highways is just below lethal levels. This is far more serious than any radiation that the US might experience sometime in the future from a few thousand cubic meters of contaminated seawater from halfway around the planet from you.
You should be getting very upset about this situation in Niagara Falls.

When the initial radiation leak in Japan briefly made it's way to Tokyo, the highest radiation level measured in Tokyo (March 17) was only 50% of what is measured in New York City every day of the year. This is not something that MIGHT happen. It's happening RIGHT NOW. You should not only be concerned about it, but you should be warning any friends or family in Denver, New York, or Niagara Falls to take precautions today.

Google doesn't make anybody an expert - it is only a tool that you can use to find reliable information that can make you an expert if you pay attention. I consider it a bit more helpful than information from the "Experts" posting on CruiseCritic.

[dan1618]

So your point is: Man has a free pass to do whatever he wants? I think the people of Japan and Chernobyl would disagree, as do I. I am concerned about the future, and know I can do nothing about the past, but learn from it.
What is the saying? Those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it. No disrespect intended but "Google" doesn't make anyone an expert. It's up to people to cogitate what they are reading................

Google does NOT make anyone an expert. Staying in a Holiday Inn Express does! I stayed in one last night....

There are valid concerns, but at this point, little if anything we can do about it. Unfortunately, every way of generating power carries risk and in some way harms the environment. Windmills kill birds, coal pollutes, nuclear power is clean, but carries a risk if there ever is a disaster.

That said, this disaster is being overblown intentionally by those who have an agenda. Far more radiation was released in Japan On August 6 and 9, 1945. Yet those MASSIVE radiation releases did not cause untold nuclear destruction in the US, and I can guarantee that more of that reached our shores than will from the struggles after the recent tsunami. And while they obviously caused problems in Japan, Japan recovered as well.

I love people, I love nature, I love the environment, I love animals. It disturbs me that anyone or anything was harmed by this. That said, many of the "facts" being propagated about it have very basis in the facts.

[goodearth]

BruceMuzz-- I apologize if I misunderstood. I interpreted your statements as saying that radiation norms in the US are fine and the south Pacific is low despite all the nuclear games that were played there. Your second post was clearer on what you were saying about radiation levels and I agree with you. That said, I will read what other's post, but I've stated my position and know that there are some who don't agree--as well as others that do. This isn't a popularity contest........hopefully everyone will come out of this catastrophe a little more educated..........about all of these issues.

[dmwnc1959]

Several news articles have said that over 200,000 buildings were swept out to sea in the retreating tsunami. This article shows projected paths of the debris field over the next few years:

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

[swokie]

I heard on the news this morning that the first signs of debris was showing up north of Seattle. Something to watch for our Alaskan cruise next July?

[Krazy Kruizers]

I heard on the news this morning that the first signs of debris was showing up north of Seattle. Something to watch for our Alaskan cruise next July?


Interesting. I didn't get a chance to hear all the news this morning.

Thanks for the information.

[Barrick]

Debris from the Japanesse tsunami has been washing ashore over the last few days, along the west coast of Vancouver Island.

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20111215/bc_tsunami_debris_Tofino_111215/20111215/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

[bepsf]

The Japanese company announced yesterday that the water contained 7.5 million times the legal limit of iodine 131 and 1.1 million times the legal limit of cesium 137

they have already banned fishing for a certain species of fish that were found to contain high levels of both.

We are supposed to stop at 3 Japanese ports next fall - I am wondering, if the ship fills the water tanks in Seattle and then it takes 9 days to cross the ocean - will they need to refill the tanks at the first stop or will they distill from the ocean? I have read that distilling does not remove radioactive particles.

The ships don't fill freshwater tanks in port - Seawater is constantly pulled in, as needed, for the desalination process.

[sail7seas]

The ships don't fill freshwater tanks in port - Seawater is constantly pulled in, as needed, for the desalination process.



The ships sometimes bunker fresh water in ports... certain circumstances and certain prices. ;)

[bcummin]

Good morning Juanita 462,

Tsuname debris has already reached the northwest coast of Washington State. Two days ago our local newspaper's front page reported that a large black float was found two weeks ago near Neah Bay and also others on Vancouver Island. Yesterday's front page told about more and showed a photo of a 55-gallon drum-sized float found near the mouth of the Quillaute River.

Barbara
Port Angeles, WA

[TraelorMex]

Isnt 'swimming in radioactive waters' how godzilla came into being :eek: