A wooden box stamped with Japanese characters sits hidden beneath a pile of seaweed and a sizeable chunk of kelp near the waters of Telegraph Cove B次元官网网址� an image of what is expected to hit West Coast beaches this December.

This prop didn't actually float over from Japan following the devastating earthquake from March, 2011. But if it did, Murray Leslie, a member of Ocean Networks CanadaB次元官网网址檚 software development team, would be doing the right thing, as he kneels down on the beach and snaps a photo with his smartphone.

Logged into Coastbuster, an app designed to get the public reporting marine debris, Leslie captures an image of the box and with a few strokes across the phoneB次元官网网址檚 touchscreen, categorizes his finding, simply answering what he has found and whether or not it appears hazardous.

B次元官网网址淧retend weB次元官网网址檙e on the West Coast and thereB次元官网网址檚 nothing but wild ocean out there,B次元官网网址� Leslie says at the Cadboro Bay beach in Saanich. B次元官网网址淪tuff can just wash in here and itB次元官网网址檚 very difficult for it to wash out again. They expect debris like this to accumulate for at least the next two or three years.B次元官网网址�

To catalogue actual debris, Leslie would wait until he got back on a Wi-Fi network and upload his curious photo to Ocean Networks Canada via Coastbuster.

Ocean Networks vets all such images then sends them along to authorities from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Ministry of Environment, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The lab uploads also the photos to the account, where anyone can browse, share and comment on the findings.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 important that (debris) gets recorded and the people who will be able to do that are the ones who live or work in the area, the people who are actually out walking the beach on a daily basis and able to say, B次元官网网址楬ey, that wasnB次元官网网址檛 here yesterday,B次元官网网址滲次元官网网址� Leslie says.

Residents on the West Coast, from Washington to Alaska are about to start seeing a lot of debris that wasnB次元官网网址檛 there yesterday. The bulk is projected to be a mere few hundred kilometres from the coastline, and expected within a matter of weeks with the normal circulation of the ocean. Winter storms could see that debris B次元官网网址� more than a million tons B次元官网网址� wash up anytime between now and Christmas.

Winds have already pushed lighter objects floating closer to the surface of the ocean to our shores, says Kate Moran, president and CEO of Ocean Networks Canada. Oceanographers are now expecting denser objects below the surface and floating too deep for satellite recognition, she says.

B次元官网网址淚f (an object) is large enough and we can get good dimensions on it, it might help scientists understand the ocean currents better, because it has a certain density and they can calculate the depth at which it was floating,B次元官网网址� Moran says.

Uses for the app, developed through a partnership with Simon Fraser UniversityB次元官网网址檚 spatial interface research lab, could also be applied to a range of tracking initiatives.

B次元官网网址淪ay thereB次元官网网址檚 some kind of impact on coastal fauna, like oyster beds, or muscles, or clams B次元官网网址� we could actually have a campaign and people could document where they are and where theyB次元官网网址檙e not.

B次元官网网址淚t could be applied for other things: surfers could use it to document where the best waves are,B次元官网网址� Moran adds with a laugh. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 for people to suggest and weB次元官网网址檙e open to promoting other campaigns if thereB次元官网网址檚 a need.B次元官网网址�

Last June, Cara Lachmuth, volunteer co-ordinator for the Vancouver Island chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, a coastal preservation group, led a group of 16 during an annual clean up of Vargas Island north of Tofino. The group picked up one whole ton of debris in a single day on Vargas Island B次元官网网址� a hefty load given their requirement to log all of their findings and submit an annual report to NOAA.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 fairly intensive work, to take an entire year of data and write a report,B次元官网网址� Lachmuth says B次元官网网址淭o have an app available, so we can submit it all instantaneously with pictures is amazing. WeB次元官网网址檙e volunteers and anything that lets us get more done, weB次元官网网址檙e all for.B次元官网网址�

The free Coastbuster app is currently available on Android smartphones and tablets. The iPhone/iPad apps are awaiting approval from Apple in the coming weeks. Check out information on the project at .

B次元官网网址淚t was designed to be used even by a kayaker, someone who only has one free hand,B次元官网网址� Leslie says B次元官网网址淵ou can become a citizen scientist.B次元官网网址�

nnorth@saanichnews.com