Sampling the Pacific for Signs of Fukushima

An international research team is reporting the results of a research cruise they organized to study the amount, spread, and impacts of radiation released into the ocean from the tsunami-crippled reactors in Fukushima, Japan.

Japan Tsunami Holds Lessons for Pacific Northwest

The threat posed to coastal areas in the Pacific Northwest by massive tsunami flooding gained renewed attention after the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and consecutive devastating tsunami that rapidly inundated coastal areas in Japan on March 11, 2011. Scientists say that a similar tsunami hit the Pacific Northwest coast in 1700, and it may happen again. 90 percent of the coastal region’s residents evacuated effectively in japan, but a same situation would likely play out differently in the Pacific Northwest.

Fishing boat lost in Japan tsunami reaches Canada

A fishing boat lost in the massive Japanese tsunami a year ago has turned up off Canada’s west coast. The ship is the first, and largest, item confirmed to have crossed the Pacific Ocean to North America from Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.

Earthquakes Jolted Japan’s Coast

A 6.1 earthquake, which caused substantial shaking in Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures east of Tokyo, followed just a few hours after a magnitude 6.8 quake jolted northern Japan. A tsunami warning was issued but later lifted after that earthquake.

The Seafloor Focuses and Merges Tsunami Waves

Scientists have known for years that the shape of the seafloor plays a role in how tsunami waves build up as they approach the coastline. A year after the earthquake and tsunami, rebuilding Japan’s coastal cities to withstand tsunamis remains a challenge.