by Kristen Minogue
On March 11, 2011, a 125-foot tsunami struck Japan’s Tōhoku coast, triggered by a massive earthquake just hours earlier. The cost in human life and property damage was devastating. When it receded, it set in motion another chain of events—one scientists are still watching unfold eight years later. It’s a story of millions of pieces of plastic that journeyed across the ocean, and the plants and animals that rafted with them.
A year after the tsunami, beach walkers in Oregon and Washington began spotting pieces of debris with Japanese characters. When scientists came on the scene, they confirmed much of the debris had come from the Tōhoku region in the wake of the tsunami. Even more stunning, many were covered in shellfish, barnacles and other creatures that survived the ocean crossing. In 2017, scientists reported nearly 300 living species had rafted to the Hawaiian Islands or the North American West Coast on tsunami debris, and more animals were still arriving through summer 2018.
But that wasn’t the end. After surviving an ocean voyage, a new question emerged: Can these species survive in their new homes?