Hardcore Natural History Series - Marine species that hitchhiked to North America on the debris field of a tsunami

When the magnitude 9 Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck the east coast of Japan in March 2011, vast numbers of objects, from docks and fishing vessels to plastic fragments, were swept out to sea. Any structure entering the sea accumulates life. Settlement in marine systems typically starts with biofilms that form within days; then, encrusting communities that include animals such as bryozoans, mollusks, and crustaceans develop within 6 to 12 months. As this study showed, over 300 different species were carried out to sea on human-made objects, rafting from the coast of Japan across the Pacific to the west coast of North America. -- Science, 2017 

Professor Jonathan Geller of Moss Landing Marine Labs will discuss how this project came together, the broader issue of introduced marine species in the US, and how this event fits into the broader picture of present and future human impacts on the sea.

Editor's Note: This talk replaces one originally scheduled on this date with Matthew Savoca as the speaker.