A graphic released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has sparked fears of a massive, Texas-sized "island" of toxic debris heading toward the United States from Japan.
While the map has certainly provided fodder for catchy -- if slightly cataclysmic -- headlines, it now appears the fears it prompted are overblown.Stories about a "toxic monster" of debris dislodged by the 2011 tsunami in Japan began circulating earlier this week after the NOAA released a map that appeared to show a solid mass of flotsam about 1,700 miles off the Pacific coast, between California and Hawaii.
Some outlets were quick to broadcast alarm, with The Independent warning of an "enormous floating island of debris" creeping toward the American coast. However, the NOAA has since clarified that while there may have once been 5 million tons of floating debris, 70 percent has since sunk, Salon report.
Source: NewsOnJapan
Some outlets were quick to broadcast alarm, with The Independent warning of an "enormous floating island of debris" creeping toward the American coast. However, the NOAA has since clarified that while there may have once been 5 million tons of floating debris, 70 percent has since sunk, Salon report.
Source: NewsOnJapan
