Japan Earthquake Changes Earth's Axis

- The massive earthquake that hit Japan was so powerful that it changed the shape of the country's coastline and shifted the earth's axis.
- The huge shake, caused by a shift in the tectonic plates deep underwater, also threw the earth off its axis point by at least 8 centimeters.
- Such mighty forces would have moved an immense amount of water, sending it cascading out in waves sweeping across the ocean at 500mph
-That quake was spread over a fault of 620 miles and the sea floor was raised 33 feet.

I will find moer about how was it effect the sea grass!

Initial Findings of Effects of the 2004 Earthquake/Tsunami on Marine Ecosystems

General Impacts by the Tsunami

§   Damage to structure and function of coastal ecosystems: coral reefs, mangroves, sea grasses, estuarine mudlfats

§   Physical damage – physical removal of flora, fauna, reefs, sea grasses and increased sedimentation

o     Physical damage by wave energy – on “shallow near shore habitats (those of coral reefs, sea grasses and mangroves)

§   Chemical changes – saltwater intrusion, eutrophication, sewage

§   Change in ecosystems – different species from different trophic levels were taken away or disrupted 

Specific References to Seagrass: 

 - Indonesia: 20% of seagrass beds, 30% of coral reefs, 25-35% of wetlands were damaged on west coast

- Thailand: 10% damage of seagrass beds

Brief info on Radiation

While the Japanese government spokesman has declared that “Japan’s marine life is in no danger regardless of the radiation levels in the waters near the crippled Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant” on 26 March,

(http://en.rian.ru/world/20110326/163216605.html) experts believe that radioactive particles will have a noticeable and even lasting impact.  The radioactive isotopes detected so far have been:

§   Iodine-131 (half life of 8 days) – 3,355 times the legal limit

§   Caesium-135 – 117.3 times the legal limit

§   Caesium-17 (half life of 30 days) – 70.6 times the legal limit

A study on the internet on the uptake of radioactive iodine of 3 seagrass species that are found in Japan (Hijiki - Hizikia fusiforme, Nejimoku - Sargassum sagamianum and Tsunomata - Chondrus ocellatus) showed that the concentration/levels taken in by seagrass was much more significant than those of fish.  However, I was unable to find the exact numerical data of the concentrations taken up by those species.  

Plans for the Future:

-Find specific examples of how Seagrass loss has impacted marine ecosystems.
-Study the effect of the Sumatra Tsunami & Earthquake on marine ecosystems.
-Explain how the recent events in Japan will likely impact seagrass.
-Explain how this will likely impact local marine ecosystems.
-Explain how this will likely impact local economy.

Everything you need to know about seagrass:

*Seagrass is the base of important marine ecosystems, providing an environment which serves as a nursery for young fish, rich in nutrients and invertebrates for food, while at the same time providing a grazing site for other larger vegetarian marine life. Additional functions and dangers to Seagrass  in both temperate and tropical climates are shown above.
*There are 60 different types of seagrass.
*Seagrass grows only in the Photic Zone (the area of the sea where light can penetrate) in coastal regions on every continent except Antarctica.
*Seagrass requires a soft or sandy substrate region in which to grow.
*Many organisms have evolved to live only in seagrass ecosystems.
*Seagrass levels worldwide have decreased by 30000 square kilometers in the past 20-30 years.
*A healthy seagrass ecosystem is vital to having a healthy fishing system.
*Seagrass can be directly killed by the over-input of elements such as phosphorous or nitrogen.
*Radiation has also been proven to have lasting effects on seagrass.

Some Links I came across

hi eye, here are some links I came across about the movement of plates 
Links about the earthquake:
http://www.attendconference.com/blog/?p=314
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/most-popular/2011/03/12/japan-earthquake-how-ocean-plate-movement-caused-the-disaster-115875-22983510/  --> has gd diagrams

pictures of areas affected by quake from mirror.co.uk

http://www.sify.com/news/tectonic-plates-movement-caused-japan-quake-tsunami-news-international-ldmq4fifgef.htm 

n dylan, here are some pdfs i came across about seagrass: 

http://www.seagrasswatch.org/Info_centre/education/Seagrass_Educators_Handbook.pdf  (general info about seagrass) 

http://mediterranean.seagrassonline.org/files/Kuo-mae-27-4.pdf (seagrass distribution in japan)

And some links about the Earthquake:

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Japans-Earthquake-Alters-Coast-Line-Changes-Earths-Axis-117857349.html


http://www.livescience.com/13187-japan-earthquake-tsunami-science-faq.html

Links About Seagrass:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/kr902353u7637x1w/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seagrass 

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=2fb35467-064e-4335-a26d-779c71486178&k=87947

A lovely book about Seagrass:
http://books.google.ca/books?id=dHV0NA3m2AIC&dq=how+were+Japan%27s+seagrass+levels+affected&q=Japan#v=snippet&q=Japan&f=false

NEW Research Question

How did the earthquake in Japan affect local seagrass populations, and what effect will this have on local ecosystems and economies?
- Dylan: information about seagrass: everything you could possibly want to know about it, and probably a few things you didn't.
- Skage: what happens to economy if seagrass population decreases --> effects of loss of seagrass on fish populations
- Larissa: How radiation in water affects seagrass and past examples of marine ecoystems that were damaged by earthquakes
- Eye: Movement of plates and how this affects sea grass populations

Possible Focus Areas

- effects of the earthquake and tsunami on seagrass populations and how that affects marine biodiversity 
- effects of earthquake on chemosynthetic ecosystems  
- predictions on effects of marine ecosystems based on aftereffects of 2004 Sumatra earthquake and tsunami 

Research Question: How has the recent ashift in plate tectonics resulted in loss of land and affected nearby ecosystems and human populations?

Hi Jonathan!