Currents, Plastic Ducks, and Nike Sneakers

Today students learned about the world's currents, their general locations and patterns, and their general temperatures. Sailors have known about some of these currents for a very long time. Early explorers knew it took less time to go to Europe from North America and not the other way, even if they didn't know it was the slightly warmer, slightly faster Gulf Stream that was carrying them along.

Scientists who study currents have historically dropped stuff into the ocean and recorded where it has turned up. Yes, those messages in a bottle can be useful.

Curtis Ebbesmeyer is one of the leading oceanographers in current reserach and he doesn't drop any bottles. Instead he tracks cargo that is lost overboard from large container ships in trans-oceanic crossings. He started with a cargo of Nike sneakers, but has also worked with plastic ducks (pictured), legos. pumice from volcanic eruptions, and wooden barrels. Mr. Ebbesmeyer is most famous for his research on the plastic ducks.

Students plotted the path of the ship leaving Hong Kong using latitude and longitude and then plotted some points where ducks washed ashore. Students read an article about the research using the ducks and other flotsam (flotsam = floating debris) and listened to a podcast interview with Ebbesmeyer. The podcast can be reached here.

Although many ducks, beavers, turtles, and frogs have been recovered, oceanic currents are carrying them further still...