Environmental Studies Faculty and Staff Publications

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2013

Keywords

Polystyrene

Abstract

Washington coast beaches during annual cleanup events. WWU researchers used historical data from 2009-2012 provided by the Washington CoastSavers to establish a baseline for common marine debris trends and compared these baselines with cleanup data obtained from the 2013 CoastSavers cleanup and WWU in-depth assessments of debris removed from four beaches during this 2013 event. Debris from the tsunami, like debris from local sources, can have a significant impact on marine species. Noteworthy harmful effects of certain debris types, including polystyrene on marine biota include ingestion, entanglement, and accumulation along the ocean floor and surface. Debris from the tsunami event can have added impacts as tsunami debris has been suspended in the water for multiple years and can harbor invasive species.

Required Publisher's Statement

Resilience Institute report in partnership with NOAA and Washington SeaGrant for the North Pacific Marine Resources Committee, Port Angeles, Washington.

Sponsorship/Conference/Institution

Huxley College of the Environment. Resilience Institute

Location

Huxley College of the Environment, Western Washington University

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Marine debris--Washington (State)--Pacific Coast; Tsunami damage--Washington (State)--Pacific Coast; Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, Japan, 2011--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--Pacific Coast

Geographic Coverage

Pacific Coast (Wash.)

Genre/Form

articles

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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