THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016
COMMUNITY
1B
RIDE THE WAVE
LET’S TAKE A TRIP
316 AND COUNTING
ne of the problems with tsunami preparedness is that often
the warning can’t be issued fast enough. A recent article in
the Huf¿ngton Post online talks about a solution that’s so obvious,
it’s amazing no one ever thought of it before: Using cargo ships to
collect tsunami data (http://tinyurl.com/shiptsu). They’re already
out at sea, and on the move. Deep ocean sensors have limits — they
are expensive, stuck in one spot, and there aren’t very many of them.
Researchers at the University of Hawaii Manoa, backed by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who is
in charge of providing tsunami warnings, have started the project by
equipping 10 ships with tsunami sensors that are providing real-time
data. The ship pictured is courtesy of the Maersk Line. Using GPS
systems and satellite communications, the ships form a “network of
open ocean tide gauges” to augment information provided by the
deep ocean sensors already in place.
So how did the UH researchers ¿nally come up with the idea" In
2010, when a tsunami generated by an earthquake in Chile passed
one of their research vessels, the onboard equipment accurately
recorded the tsunami signal. That was an “aha!” moment, indeed.
O
LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP
uesday was the 316th anniversary of the Jan. 26,
1700 megathrust 9.2 earthquake on the Cascadia
Subduction Zone that devastated the coasts of Northern
California, Oregon and Washington. The cataclysmic event
caused coastal land to suddenly drop 3 to 6 feet and become
Àooded with seawater.
A massive tidal wave followed that was felt all the way
across the Paci¿c. <ou can watch a National Oceanographic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/ Paci¿c Tsunami
Warning Center (PTWC) video of how the tidal wave spread
at http://tinyurl.com/twave1700. A blurb that goes with the
video says the subduction zone ruptured along its full length
of its 600 miles that time, and the shaking would have lasted
5 minutes or longer.
Nine hours later, the tidal wave hit Japan, and observers
there were puzzled by the “orphan tsunami.” The wave
didn’t seem to have any local cause, and no one at the time
could ¿gure out where it came from. Nonetheless, the details
were fastidiously recorded by individuals and of¿cials in
several municipalities.
It took 300 years for scientists and historians in the U.S.
and Japan to connect the orphan tsunami with the cata-
strophic event on the West Coast. The result of their ¿ndings
is compiled in a professional paper, available at (http://
tinyurl.com/bkwave1700). Part of the cover is shown.
North Coasters might be especially interested in the studies
of evidence left behind on our coast by the event — the
Neskowin ghost forest, for instance, the remains of which
are visible to this day.
T
o, that is not a photo of a leaping orca you’re looking at. It’s
the .iller Whale < model of one of the newest concepts in
submersible recreational watercraft, the Seabreacher. Each one
is made to the customer’s speci¿cations, and the vessels are Coast
Guard approved.
Here’s a description from the company’s website (http://
seabreacher.com): “Unlike conventional watercraft that only operate
on a two dimensional plane, the Seabreacher operates more like an
aircraft with full three axis of control – pitch, roll, and yaw. This
allows the vessel to carve left and right, jump over, dive under, and
cut though the waves. Our latest model is even capable of 360-degree
barrel rolls on the water!” And yes, of course, it can breach, as
pictured in a photo from the website.
One of these handy dandy little vessels can be all yours — to
scare the water wings off of friends, neighbors and strangers alike —
for a mere $80,000 to $100,000. Start saving your pennies.
N
DON’T TURN YOUR BACK
orries over a “mini-tsunami” occurring near Ocean Shores,
Washington, were caused by a video of the event taken by
Irene Bergsagel Sumi as the wave swept ashore and Àooded into
coastal estuaries, causing injures and damage. The clip was all
over Facebook and the Internet, and even appeared on several TV
newscasts. A still shot from the video is shown.
Rest easy. The National Weather Service has decreed the rushing
water to be a sneaker wave, as Q13Fox reported (http://tinyurl.com/
notatsu). NWS noted there was no seismic activity in the area, so it
was not, in fact, a “mini-tsunami.”
Another large sneaker wave, this one in Coos Bay, made the
round of the news, as well, even as far south as San Francisco (http://
tinyurl.com/notatsu1). Cafp owner Steve Raplee was ¿lming at
the beach when suddenly a huge wave rushed in, seemingly out of
nowhere. Fortunately, no one was hurt. ““Whoa!” he exclaimed. “...
I just got out of the way. Could have taken anyone in its way.”
All of which serves as a timely reminder, especially this winter:
Don’t turn your back on the ocean.
W
TELL ME A STORY
hile the Japanese wrote their accounts of the effects of the
orphan tsunami of 1700, the Native Americans who lived
through the catastrophic event on the West Coast preserved the
memory — and tried to explain what happened — by creating
a colorful oral history. Although the stories were passed down
through the generations, apparently few are told today.
An article in Hakai Magazine, “The Great Quake and
the Great Drowning” (http://tinyurl.com/quaketales) quotes
several versions, including the following: “... Up the coast in
what is now Washington, Thunderbird and Whale had a terrible
¿ght, making the mountains shake and uprooting the trees, said
the Quileute and the Hoh people; they said the ocean rose up
and covered the whole land.
“Farther north still, on Vancouver Island, dwarfs who lived
in a mountain invited a person to dance around their drum; the
person accidentally kicked the drum and got earthquake-foot,
said the Nuu-chah-nulth people, and after that every step he
took caused an earthquake (pictured). The land shook and the
ocean Àooded in, said the Huu-ay-aht people ... and people
didn’t even have time to wake up and get into their canoes, and
‘everything then drifted away, everything was lost and gone.’”
The drum dance image shown is by Nuu-chah-nulth artist
Tim Paul, courtesy of the Royal British Columbia Museum
and Archives.
It wasn’t until the 1980s that scientists realized that the
stories are not just stories — they are history, and there are
many similarities between different tribes’ descriptions of the
disaster’s effects on both the land and the people.
Thankfully, some of the stories have been written down and
have been preserved for future generations. Sadly, many more
were not, and are lost.
W
his is a real head-scratcher: Tours of the damaged Fukushima
power plant have become a popular item in Japan, according to the
Asahi Shimbun online (http://tinyurl.com/fukutour), despite still being
actively radioactive more than 4 years after the extensive damage caused
by the 2011 Japanese earthquake.
Visitors don’t seem fazed by the 7,000 or so workers wearing
protective clothing and face masks who are still busily decommissioning
the reactors, which is expected to take decades. Amazingly enough, by
the end of last September, an estimated 16,000 people had visited the
facility. Pictured, in a photo provided by Appreciate Fukushima Workers,
visitors to the plant pass storage tanks holding contaminated water.
A “visitation center” was established in 2014, but not just anyone can
get a tour. <ou have to be 18 or older, and the “objective of the visit” is
under scrutiny. Once you pass muster, you put on some cotton gloves,
a disposable face mask, special footwear, and, of course, a dosimeter to
measure how much radioactivity you’re being exposed to. Thankfully,
the tour is conducted mainly from the bus, and exposure levels are
miniscule.
“Interest in the work serves as the core motivating factor for
employees and decommissioning workers,” the of¿cial in charge of the
visitation center said. “We plan to actively allow in visitors for as long
as possible.”
Gee, who wants to go to Disneyland, when you can go to Fukushima"
T
DEM DRY BONES
ou just never know what secrets the Paci¿c Northwest is going
to give up next. Did you know that the bones of a new arctic
30-foot-long duck-billed dinosaur have been found at the Liscomb
Bone Bed on the Colville River, in Northern Alaska. According
to TechInsider, the critters, which are hadrosaurs, have changed the
way scientists think about dinosaurs (http://tinyurl.com/aksaur).
More than 6,000 bones were found, so researchers have “multiple
elements of every single bone in the body” in the extremely remote
location, so they have a very good idea what it might have looked
like. It had Godzilla-like crests on its back, was 6 or 7 feet tall at the
hip, and had hundreds of grinding teeth. James Havens’ painting of
the new ¿nd, named Ugrunaaluk kuukpikensis — which means
“ancient grazer” in local Iñupiaq — is shown.
The fossils were found farther north than any other known
dinosaur species. Researchers were surprised to ¿nd that these
grazers could survive in such a harsh climate, with icy winters and
four months a year with no daylight — which led researchers to
speculate that perhaps dinosaurs were a lot hardier than was once
believed.
“The ¿nding of dinosaurs this far north challenges everything
we thought about a dinosaur’s physiology,” one of its discoverers,
Gregory Erickson, said in a press release. “It creates this natural
question. How did they survive up here"”
Y
IT’S RIGHT OVER THERE
hink of all the time and money
that’s been spent looking for
shipwrecks hidden at the bottom
of the ocean — most of which are
never found. Well, the times they
are a-changin’ — now you can find
shipwrecks from space. Ulster
University reports that the new
technique uses “satellite remotely
sensed data” (http://tinyurl.com/
satwreck).
In technical-ese, the article
says: “... wrecks generate
Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) concentration signals that
can be detected by high-resolution ocean colour satellites such as
Landsat-8.” Pictured, one of the satellite images of a wreck site.
Aside from the historical value being able to target lost
shipwrecks, there is a more urgent reason: More than 70 percent of
wrecks in European waters are from the two world wars, and they
are deteriorating — which means their “signi¿cant quantities” of
toxic contents (fuel and munitions) will start leaking out. And, the
North Atlantic contains 25 percent of the potential polluters. This
new technology should make those ships a lot easier to locate.
T
COMMUNITY NOTES
Sit and Stitch Group — 11
a.m. to 1 p.m., Custom Threads,
1282 Commercial St. Knitting, cro-
cheting and needle work. For infor-
mation, call 503-325-7780.
Columbia Northwestern Mod-
el Railroading Club — 1 p.m., in
Hammond. Group runs trains on
HO-scale layout. For information,
call Don Carter at 503-325-0757.
SUNDAY
Line Dancing — 5:30 to 8
p.m., Seaside American Legion,
1315 Broadway. For information,
call 503-738-5111. No cost; sug-
gested $5 tip to the instructor.
MONDAY
Scandinavian Workshop —
10 a.m., First Lutheran Church,
725 33rd St. Needlework, hardan-
ger, knitting, crocheting, embroi-
dery and quilting. All are welcome.
For information, call 503-325-1364
or 503-325-7960.
Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m.,
Bob Chisholm Senior Center, 1225
Avenue A, Seaside. Suggested do-
nation $3 for those older than 60;
$6.75 for those younger than 60.
For information, call Michelle Lew-
is at 503-861-4200.
Columbia Senior Diners —
11:30 a.m., Peace Lutheran Church
(lower level), 565 12th St. Cost is
$7. For information, or to have a
meal delivered, call 503-325-9693.
Warrenton Senior Lunch
Program — noon, Warrenton
Community Center, 170 S.W. Third
St. Suggested donation of $5 for
seniors and $7 for those younger
than 60. For information, or to vol-
unteer, call 503-861-3502 Monday
or Thursday.
Astoria Rotary Club — noon,
VHFRQG ÀRRU RI WKH $VWRULD (ONV
Lodge, 453 11th St. Guests always
welcome. For information, go to
www.AstoriaRotary.org
Knochlers Pinochle Group —
1 p.m., Bob Chisholm Community
Center, 1225 Avenue A, Seaside.
Cost is $1 per regular session per
person. Players with highest and
second highest scores split the
prize. Game is designed for play-
ers 55 and older, but all ages are
welcome.
Line Dancing for Seniors — 6
to 7:30 p.m., Astoria Senior Center,
([FKDQJH6W)RULQIRUPDWLRQ
call 503-325-3231.
Astoria Toastmasters — 6:30
SP+RWHO(OOLRWFRQIHUHQFHURRP
357 12th St. Visitors welcome. For
information, go to www.toastmas-
ters.org or call 503-894-0187.
Depression and Bipolar Sup-
port Alliance — 7 to 9 p.m., Room
A, Columbia Memorial Hospital,
([FKDQJH 6W 2SHQ WR DOO
those diagnosed with a mood dis-
order, or have a family member or
friend diagnosed, or who think they
might have depression or bipolar
disorder. For information, contact
Patricia Fessler at 503-325-8930.
Do Nothing Club — 10 a.m.
to noon, 24002 U St., Ocean Park,
Wash. Men’s group. For informa-
tion, call Jack McBride at 360-665-
2721.
Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m.,
Bob Chisholm Senior Center, 1225
Avenue A, Seaside. Suggested
donation of $3 for those older than
60; $6.75 for those younger than
60. For information, call Michelle
Lewis at 503-861-4200.
TUESDAY
World War II Warbirds — 8
a.m., Labor Temple Diner, 934
Duane St.
Stewardship Quilting Group
— 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., First
Lutheran Church, 725 33rd St.
All are welcome. Donations of
material always appreciated. For
information, call Janet Kemp at
503-325-4268.
Columbia Senior Diners
— 11:30 a.m., Peace Lutheran
Church (lower level), 565 12th St.
The cost is $7. For information, or
to have a meal delivered, call 503-
325-9693.
Astoria Kiwanis Club —
QRRQ (O 7DSDWLR : 0DULQH
Drive. For information, call Robert
McClelland at 503-894-0187 or
Susan Brooks at 503-741-0186 or
503-338-4994.
Astoria Lions Club — noon,
$VWRULD (ONV /RGJH WK 6W
Prospective members welcome.
For information, contact Charlene
Larsen at 503-325-0590.
Line Dancing for Seniors —
1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Astoria Senior
Center, temporarily located at
1555 W. Marine Drive in the old
Astoria Yacht Club. For informa-
tion, call 503-325-3231.
A Course in Miracles — The
Astoria ACIM study group meets
weekly from 3 to 4 p.m. For in-
formation and location, call Nelle
Moffett at 916-307-9790 or email
moffett@cgiFellowship.org
See NOTES, Page 2B