Flotsam from 2011 Japan tsunami reaches Alaska

It’s been more than a year since a massive quake devastated northeast Japan, and the debris believed to be from that disaster is now washing up more than 4,000 miles away, on Alaska’s shores.

First-of-its-kind study reveals surprising ecological effects of earthquake and tsunami

The reappearance of long-forgotten habitats and the resurgence of species unseen for years may not be among the expected effects of a natural disaster. Yet that’s exactly what researchers have found on the sandy beaches of south central Chile, after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake and devastating tsunami in 2010. Their study also revealed a preview of the problems wrought by sea level rise, a major symptom of climate change.

Japan tsunami Debris Moves Towards US and Canada

The tsunami swept as much debris into the ocean in one day as is usually dumped in a year, threatening wildlife and the Pacific’s ecology. Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alaska should get much of the debris, while most of California might be protected by currents pushing objects back out to sea. Hawaii, however, is in line for several deposits of tsunami trash.

GPS Could Speed Up Tsunami Alerts

Global positioning systems (GPS) could provide faster tsunami alerts than current warning set-ups, German researchers said at the European Geosciences Union Conference in Vienna, citing data collected in last year’s deadly Japan earthquake.

Can Whales Predict Tsunamis?

As tsunami warnings hit the Indonesian and Sri Lankan coasts last week, observers at sea watched as every species of cetacean, from massive blue whales to diminutive spinner dolphins, vanished in the space of a few minutes.