tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7879367291247696212025-12-29T19:08:43.602-08:00A science blog that examines what washes ashore in the Pacific Northwest. This exciting blog includes the latest news, as well as tidbits in oceanography, biology, and marine science. Your one-stop source for information and news on debris from the 2011 Tohoku tsunami in Japan.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-43584811873525439162016-02-04T13:02:00.003-08:002016-02-04T13:08:23.994-08:00

One of the very best things about my career as a marine biologist is that I never know what to expect.  Sure, I spend about 40 or 50 hours a week staring at a computer screen, but there are times when I walk into the office one morning and get invited to do things like help teach a field course on marine biology, help disentangle whales, or even visit a beach where a Japanese boat has washed

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-90661351703964989862015-11-23T21:01:00.002-08:002015-11-23T21:20:16.158-08:00

We all like to see headlines now and then that show our progress in conservation and stewardship for our planet. It also appears, that lately, Californians really like to ban things.  In the newest movement of such, environmentalists have lobbied to ban plastic microbeads found in cosmetic and other products.  Microbeads are defined as beads that are less than 1mm in diameter, and are

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-4538083128276061092015-03-14T08:00:00.000-07:002015-03-14T08:00:01.195-07:00

Is it that time already? I have fond memories of last April - hiking two miles down a steep headland to retrieve as many buoys as I could on a secluded beach before hiking the two miles back up in the rain.  Well, for me they were fond memories.  As for my boyfriend, he hung in there. Okay, he may have said it was something like Tropic Thunder.  "Hang in there man- we need to

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-14494161048538773962015-03-12T16:22:00.002-07:002015-03-12T16:23:58.420-07:00

You may all remember when a striped beakfish washed ashore in the hull of a Japanese boat in Oregon in April of 2013.  This little guy was the sole survivor of a group of five that washed up (what a trooper!) and was taken to his new home at the Seaside Aquarium. And what many of you also may or may not know, is that another one of these guys washed ashore last month.  To one

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-75853947425569183092015-02-09T17:17:00.000-08:002015-02-09T17:17:08.711-08:00

Hi all!  I know it has been a while since I have posted any new content (more coming soon, I promise!) However, right now I want to leave you with this wonderful drawing.  Sometimes as scientists, we tend to make things more complex than we need to.  A drawing by Finley Miller-Morgan of Newport, Oregon has reminded me of that. I think this may be one of the best scientific

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-61467181436909776832014-11-17T12:47:00.003-08:002014-11-17T12:48:17.067-08:00

After what has been a very active year trying to understand sea star wasting disease, scientists at Cornell University and Western Washington University have identified what appears to be the culprit for sea star wasting- a virus in the same family that commonly affects canines. Canine parvovirus, a virus closely related to the pathogen likely affecting sea stars (Image: virology.wisc.edu) If

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-58918670492214378132014-07-21T11:09:00.002-07:002014-07-21T11:10:10.240-07:00

Howdy folks, If any of you are sad that you might have missed the By-the-Wind Sailors on your local beaches, never fear!  I am still getting lots of reports of these guys floating around in piles on the sea, as well as washing up on beaches in Washington and Oregon. Here is a photo submitted by one of my readers, Cassandra D., of a pile of Velella in Brookings Harbor, Oregon.  Thanks

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-23839534713666544422014-07-20T19:36:00.003-07:002014-07-20T20:03:36.749-07:00

Members and volunteers from the Oregon Surfrider Foundation, OSU's Coastal Society and the American Cetacean Society gathered at Nye Beach in Newport, Oregon on Saturday for a summer beach cleanup! Volunteers enjoyed coffee and donuts, as well as a fortuitous dose of great weather and sunshine to make the experience a fun one! A hardy volunteer cleans up Nye Beach A large amount of the debris

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-33490280077848249982014-07-11T18:29:00.002-07:002014-07-11T18:29:45.700-07:00

A strange site is greeting beachgoers, fishermen, and coastal residents along the Oregon and Washington coasts this summer- strandings of thousands of jelly-fish like creatures lining beaches and the nearshore waters.  What are these animals? While often mistaken for the notorious man-o-war jellyfish, they are actually a harmless colonial hydrozoan called Velella velella, or 'By-the-Wind

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-63580367041616150532014-05-27T17:43:00.002-07:002014-05-27T17:48:23.542-07:00

As spring's easterly winds die down (at least for now), what is likely the last of the wave of boats to reach US shores is rolling in. Despite a Memorial Day Weekend with relatively calm weather, 3 boats were found on Washington beaches, as well as one boat in Oregon (by me!). Another boat has been reported south of Waldport, Oregon but has yet to be located. The first of the three

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-88858561918222435442014-05-22T18:32:00.003-07:002014-05-22T18:32:44.679-07:00

Adding to the enormous amount of marine debris that has washed ashore on eastern Pacific shores this week, two more boats (one intact, the other partial) and a small section of floating dock have washed ashore in Oregon today. The first boat, although somewhat dilapidated, contained some biological surprises-  three live sea stars, an anemone, mussels and the giant red barnacle which has

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-51128798069590885202014-05-20T11:37:00.000-07:002014-05-21T12:02:34.543-07:00

 Update: ANOTHER boat washed ashore at Cape Arago yesterday (May 20th), making the new number of boats nine TEN.  More on this boat soon. Boat #10 makes it ashore in Cape Arago, Oregon In what has been an absolutely peak week and month in tsunami debris,  thousands (perhaps more) of pounds of marine debris from the tsunamis, as well as normal debris, has washed ashore on the

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-26922937017044202102014-04-29T17:44:00.000-07:002014-05-01T16:10:37.046-07:00

A large spring storm brought hail, rain, strong easterly winds, and something else along the Washington and Oregon coasts this past weekend. Win many floating objects ashore.  The easterly winds are partially driven by what is known as the 'Spring transition' - while winter winds blow in a southerly direction from Baja to Alaska (yes, southerly means from the south), summer winds do exactly

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-17565996152486619972014-04-28T15:14:00.002-07:002014-04-28T15:20:01.476-07:00

Sea Star Wasting Syndrome is the new buzzword in marine biology these days.  But what is it?  Sadly, nobody really knows for sure.  However, the consequences for large populations of sea stars on the Pacific coast are dire. This problem was first noted in 1983-1984 and 1997-8 in Southern California during periods of warm water- particularly during El Nino. Groups of starfish on

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-59621363773163589042014-04-08T13:32:00.001-07:002014-04-08T13:34:59.870-07:00

Greetings! I'd like to tell everyone about two upcoming marine science events in Newport, Oregon today, April 8th. And don't forget Hatfield Marine Science Center's Marine Science Day from 10-4 this Saturday, April 12! At 2-4 pm in the Hatfield Marine Science Center Visitor's Center Auditorium,  there will be a Sea Star Wasting Syndrome informational session: Sea stars along the

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-44157769656124546922014-04-01T18:47:00.001-07:002014-04-01T18:47:43.146-07:00

Hello Bloggers, I sadly report that an 8.2 magnitude earthquake has struck the coast of Chile, prompting evacuations and tsunami warnings.  At 5:04pm Pacific Standard Time, a quake from the San Ramon thrust fault line resulted in at least one initial small tsunami of about 6 feet. This fault line, which is a thrust fault line much like the one that caused the 2011 Tohoku tsunamis, is

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-6484207972127207662014-03-04T08:00:00.000-08:002014-03-04T08:00:06.305-08:00

Spring is a special time in the Pacific Northwest, when the winter rains let up and we even have a few beautiful windless days before the blustery summer days set in.  If you are getting cabin fever, here are a couple of opportunities for you to get out, learn about the ocean, and even volunteer to help make our beaches even better.  So, shake off those raindrops and get out there!

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-89456013620631842532014-03-03T17:26:00.001-08:002014-03-03T17:26:26.325-08:00

Are you interested in learning out the Navy's plans for sonar and bomb testing in the Northwest, and how that might impact whales and other marine organisms?  As a citizen, do you have strong feelings regarding the topic? The Navy is holding a series of public hearings regarding sonar and bomb testing in our area, and one of these is tomorrow night (Tuesday March 4, 2014) in Newport, Oregon

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-89848654783046485282014-03-03T16:43:00.003-08:002014-03-03T16:43:50.702-08:00

A series of winter storms hailing strong western and southern winds has pushed tsunami debris ashore in the Pacific Northwest. The debris ranges from larger to small objects, and is mingled with other nearshore debris along Oregon and Washington's beaches. One such item, a section of a Yamaha boat, is believed to be tsunami debris and was found by a local resident on a beach north of Yachats,

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-85000828955594658942014-02-12T16:38:00.004-08:002014-02-12T16:39:18.045-08:00

On January 15, 2014,  the first boat of Japanese origin was reported in Twin Harbors Beach State Park in Westport, Washington.  While the boat didn't make the evening news, it was quickly collected and examined by biologists of the Washington Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and Oregon State University.  Assuming that the boat was Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris (JTMD), this

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-38848038285069872912013-12-09T11:40:00.003-08:002013-12-09T11:41:36.778-08:00

Okay, how could you not think of Sir Mix-A-Lot's 'Baby Got Back' when you hear about this topic?  At least, I couldn't.  In a news release from Oregon State University this month, an international team of scientists (including faculty from OSU's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences) have taken a look at the amount of friction generated in the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake. 

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-55606659994111958592013-12-01T21:07:00.000-08:002013-12-01T21:07:08.801-08:00

Sometimes science reporting can be something like a game of 'telephone', played between various reporting agencies, primary sources, and the public.   The power of this has been shown by a recent debacle regarding the projected tsunami debris reaching US shores.  NOAA's debris model was recently misinterpreted by a certain large media network, giving the idea that an unstoppable

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-35431059608233024562013-11-12T18:07:00.002-08:002013-11-12T18:08:14.716-08:00

Support Community Recovery: Typhoon Haiyan Greetings bloggernauts- today I want to bring to mind the disaster that is currently still ongoing in the Phillipines- Super typhoon Haiyan and its devastating effects. The Associated Press is great for mentioning the devastation as it occurs, but fails to really break down the personal impacts that these types of disasters can have on a population.

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-80720024898264950662013-11-04T18:10:00.000-08:002013-11-04T18:12:14.365-08:00

Can you 'ride out' a tsunami? We've all heard the stories: a fisherman rides out a tsunami far out at sea, then returns to land to find his home port devastated without his knowledge.  But is this possible? The answer is actually quite surprising... and possibly life-saving. Tsunami waves are really unique things.  The scale of them far exceeds normal wind waves, and the physics of

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787936729124769621.post-24061577766964598802013-10-31T12:29:00.003-07:002013-11-04T18:10:31.545-08:00

Happy Halloween to my lovely readers! Halloween is the time when creatures from our wildest dreams and nightmares come to life.  The ocean has its fair share of these mystery animals which have captured imaginations for centuries. In the spirit of the holiday, you can check out my guest post on one of these animals, the alluring mermaid, on the marine science blog Deep Sea News! Happy

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03582476259478024507noreply@blogger.com0