Mile 329 - Sunset Beach, Clatsop Plains, Sunset Lake - January 1, 2013

Report Details

Beautiful start to 2013. Cold and clear. Big waves, big surge. Not too many cars today and only one that was speeding.Noticeable increase in plastic and styrofoam, and high concentrations of tiny bits of plastic in the wrack line. The styrofoam debris looks similar in color and composition (green, white and orange) to the first big surge of (alleged) tsunami debris several months ago. Found two bottles with Japanese writing -- a "bathroom germicide" bottle and a dishwashing liquid bottle. Both had clearly been in the ocean a while.

Conditions

Temperature: 39 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: NE. Tide Level: 7.5 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 12. Number of dogs: 1. Walking or running: 8. Playing in sand: 4. Vehicle tracks in protected dunes (as always)

Concerns

Driftwood removal, Litter

Apparent violations: evidence of cutting / removal of large drift logs. With permit? Who knows..

Vehicles

Cars/trucks on beach, allowed: 10.

Dead Fish or Invertebrates

1 freshly dead fish (juvenile salmon?)in the wrack line.

Driftline Content

Seaweeds and seagrass, Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.), Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Shells, Styrofoam, Wood pieces. lots of small plastic, styrofoam, etc. (more than usual). Lots of woody debris (not unusual for this time of year).

Natural Changes

Erosion of vegetated foredune. Recent high tides / surge have caused some dune erosion (dune cliffs)