Debris from the deadly tsunami that struck Japan in 2011 has been floating in the Pacific Ocean and will likely wash onto North American shores over the next few years, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
"A significant amount of debris has already arrived on U.S. and Canadian shores, and it will likely continue arriving in the same scattered way over the next several years," NOAA officials said in a statement.
"As we get further into the fall and winter storm season, NOAA and partners are expecting to see more debris coming ashore in North America, including tsunami debris mixed in with the 'normal' marine debris that we see every year."
After the magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck the east coast of Japan on March 11, 2011 and triggered a tsunami that killed more than 15,000 people, an estimated 5 million tons of debris was swept into the Pacific.