Using satellite remote sensing, we show the distribution, dominant type, and amounts of marine debris off the northeast coast of Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake on 11 March 2011 and subsequent tsunami. Extensive marine debris was found on March 12, with the maximal amount found on March 13. The debris was found to be mainly wood (possibly lumber wood), with an estimated 1.5 million metric tons in an elongated water area of 6800 km2 (18 km E-W and 380 km N-S) near parallel to the coast between 36.75°N and 40.25°N. The amount decreased rapidly with time, with scattered debris patches captured in high-resolution satellite images up to April 6. These results provide new insights on the initial distribution of the Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris, which may be used to help find bottom deposition of debris and help refine numerical models to predict the debris trajectory and fate.

中文翻译：

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东日本大地震和海啸引起的海洋垃圾：多传感器遥感评估


我们利用卫星遥感技术，显示了 2011 年 3 月 11 日东日本大地震和随后的海啸之后日本东北海岸海洋垃圾的分布、主要类型和数量。 3 月 12 日发现了大量海洋垃圾，3 月 13 日发现的数量最多。发现的垃圾主要是木材（可能是木材），在 6800 平方公里（18 平方公里）的狭长水域中估计有 150 万吨。东西向和北纬 380 公里）几乎平行于北纬 36.75° 至 40.25°N 之间的海岸。随着时间的推移，碎片数量迅速减少，截至 4 月 6 日，高分辨率卫星图像中捕捉到了分散的碎片斑块。这些结果为日本海啸海洋碎片的初始分布提供了新的见解，可用于帮助寻找碎片的底部沉积并帮助完善数值模型来预测碎片的轨迹和命运。