Two Seattle oceanographers say a large black float that was found two weeks ago at the northwestern tip of Washington is the first piece of debris identified as coming from the tsunami in Japan, the Peninsula Daily News reports.

The researchers who have tracked wind and water currents in the Pacific since 1970 had predicted that the first debris to appear would be something like the large, 55-gallon sized float because it is lightweight and sits well above the water. They said about a fourth of the 100 million tons of debris from Japan should reach beaches up and down the West Coast.

"It's just a monstrous debris field coming our way," said Curt Ebbesmeyer, one of the oceanographers.

PHOTOS: First debris from Japan tsunami reaches U.S. West Coast

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Just how monstrous? About the size of California, according to Ebbesmeyer's estimation. While the bulk of it is still in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, at least 10 black buoys with Japanese markings, commonly used in fish farming, have washed up on beaches from Ocean Shores to Neah Bay. Similar ones have been found wedged into a debris field north of Hawaii.

"That's about as good as the evidence gets for first arrivals," Ebbesmeyer said.

He said computer models by his partner, Jim Ingraham, predicted that the first flotsam would arrive in Washington by last Halloween. The buoys are relatively light and ride high on the water, where the wind can carry them 20 miles per day -- about three times faster than the majority of the debris is moving.

"We're at the beginning of the beginning," Ebbesmeyer said.

He added that he hopes beachcombers will treat the debris with respect because some of it will contain human remains and personal belongings. He advised anyone who finds debris to call police if they spot it, so it can be secured, inspected and that loved ones in Japan can be notified. He also said he thinks it would be prudent to check the debris for radioactivity.

People can report debris at http://flotsametrics.com/

More information can be found at http://beachcombersalert.org/

Read more on the Peninsula Daily News website.