Press Release

March 09, 2012
  • Water & Soil

Result of the estimation of the total amount (gross weight) of marine debris washed up by the March 11 Earthquake

The Ministry of the Environment conducted research to estimate the total amount (gross weight) of marine debris washed up by the March 11 Earthquake. The research estimates indicated that the debris from Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures would have amounted to about 5 million tons in total; 70 percent of it would have been deposited on the seabed of coastal areas of Japan and 30 percent would have remained drifting as floating debris.


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