Fackler, Martin. “After the Tsunami, Japan’s Sea Creatures Crossed an Ocean.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 28 Sept. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/science/tsunami-japan-debris-ocean.html.

While it is normal for species to migrate around the world, it is unusual for an enormous ecosystem of marine life to cross the Pacific Ocean—as it did on the coasts of North America as a result of a tsunami that shook Japan 6 years ago. The destruction of the tsunami caused a large amount of wreckage to be launched across the Pacific Ocean, from the coast of Japan to the coast of North America. The wreckage involved non biodegradable materials such as plastic and fiberglass, which enabled hundreds of sea creatures from Japan to thrive and even produce on a long journey across the ocean, and settle in North American coasts. The many invasive species may perish in the new environment, but they may also take hold in their new home and challenge the native species already located there.

This new process of “mega-rafting” occurred due to human behavior and the effect it had on the world. Climate change causes the rising sea levels, and the increasing production of non biodegradable materials that can float around the ocean for a long time are both processes created and facilitated by human activity. A tsunami or a hurricane can cause hundreds of species to be displaced, which will interfere with the already existing species in the North American coasts. Coastal communities depend on the existing species, and if invasive species from Japan settle, it can become an issue economically and environmentally. The key point here is that human behavior and their waste has affected the environment in such a way that unnatural events are—displacing marine life. Without any intervention, this event can recur as long as there is a natural disaster to launch it.