Environmental impact of tsunami
The magnitude 8.9 offshore quake unleashed a 23-foot tsunami and was followed by more than 300 aftershocks for days, many of them of more than magnitude 6.0.
The pictures of sea water swamping Japan led one to hark back to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. While the final death toll will never be known, an estimated 250,000 persons have perished in the Boxig Day tsunami that year, majority of them women and children.
And as the Japanese cope with the current situation and focus on search and rescue efforts, they will soon have to deal with the very real and severe environmental effects of the tsunami. Here's what they need to brace up for: