Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion Elizabeth Bush Burns, Loree Griffin Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion. Houghton, 200756p illus. with photographs (Scientists in the Field) ISBN 0-618-58131-6$18.00 R Gr. 5-9 Of the various and fascinating scientific endeavors examined in the "Scientists in the Field" series, Curt Ebbesmeyer's ongoing work must rank among the quirkiest. Following a newspaper lead suggested by his mother, the oceanographer has been tracing the surface currents of the seas via the movement of plastic rubbish that has escaped from broken cargo containers. With the aid of beachcombers, he carefully logs the landings of athletic shoes (identified by serial number as belonging to a particular wreck), plastic tub toys, and several other categories of floating refuse that can be traced to release in a verifiable place and date. Computer modeling helps confirm his observations that the paths the flotsam follows are the variable paths of the major surface currents. Other ocean scientists (at least the ones who are willing to take his efforts seriously) have subsequently built on his research to track huge buoyant corrals of junk known as garbage patches that collect in areas of current convergence. Hydrological information is clearly conveyed in the smoothly written text and in the half-dozen labeled maps that help readers visualize the trajectory of the currents and their relation to landfall of errant objects. Most powerful are the inescapable conclusions at which Burns arrives—plastic litter just won't go away, and sea life suffers for it. A gallery of color photos shows Ebbesmeyer and his colleagues at work or puckishly posing with bits of his collection. End matter comprising a glossary, index, and lists of kid-friendly sources not only augments the title's usefulness but gives some solid direction about how enthusiasts, particularly of a coastal ilk, can become involved in low-tech but crucial data collection. Copyright © 2007 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois