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More copies of this ISBNThis title in other editionseBook editionsFlotsametrics and the Floating World: How One Man's Obsession with Runaway Sneakers and Rubber Ducks Revolutionized Ocean Scienceby Curtis Ebbesmeyer and Eric Scigliano
Review-A-Day"You may have heard the saga of the seafaring Nikes. On May 27, 1990, a cargo vessel en route to Los Angeles hit a sudden storm. Five containers of Nike shoes washed overboard. The next winter, shoes showed up on Vancouver Island beaches. As winds shifted, so did the path of the Nikes, until thousands landed on the Oregon coast. The phenomena caught the attention of oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer. Using tracking numbers on the shoes combined with information provided by Nike, he began to chart the precise path the shoes had taken, thus beginning a midlife specialty in floating objects." Katie Schneider, The Oregonian (read the entire Oregonian review) Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments: Pioneering oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer unravels the mystery of marine currents, uncovers the astonishing story of flotsam, and changes the world's view of trash, the ocean, and our global environment. Curtis Ebbesmeyer is no ordinary scientist. He's been a consulting oceanographer for multinational firms and a lead scientist on international research expeditions, but he's never held a conventional academic appointment. He seized the world's imagination as no other scientist could when he and his worldwide network of beachcomber volunteers traced the ocean's currents using thousands of sneakers and plastic bath toys spilled from storm-tossed freighters. Now, for the first time, Ebbesmeyer tells the story of his lifelong struggle to solve the sea's mysteries while sharing his most surprising discoveries. He recounts how flotsam has changed the course of history—leading Viking mariners to safe harbors, Columbus to the New World, and Japan to open up to the West—and how it may even have made the origin of life possible. He chases icebergs and floating islands; investigates ocean mysteries from ghost ships to a spate of washed-up severed feet on Canadian beaches; and explores the enormous floating "garbage patches" and waste-heaped "junk beaches" that collect the flotsam and jetsam of industrial society. Finally, Ebbesmeyer reveals the rhythmic and harmonic order in the vast oceanic currents called gyres—"the heartbeat of the world "—and the threats that global warming and disintegrating plastic waste pose to the seas . . . and to us. Review:"Part oceanography lesson, part memoir, this cheerful book examines Ebbesmeyer's life and work as a pioneering oceanographer (the first to work for Mobil/Standard Oil, in 1969) and connoisseur of beach-combed artifacts. His primary interest is ocean currents, especially gyres — great circular, interlocking currents that sweep the Earth's waters with clockwork regularity — and the flotsam they carry around the planet. Everything from athletic shoes and bathtub toys to messages in bottles and corpses have provided data to help Ebbesmeyer trace currents. He recounts how flotsam guided colonization and exploration, from Norse explorers to Christopher Columbus (the first to master the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre). Today, Ebbesmeyer says, the human propensity for creating garbage has also made flotsam an environmental concern, with too many studies 'neatly filed away and forgotten.' This account, made lively with the help of journalist Scigliano (Puget Sound), might encourage many readers to dream of 'roundi[ng] the gyres' like Ebbesmeyer, 'searching out the world's trashiest beaches.' Illus." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Book News Annotation:In this memoir, Ebbesmeyer, an oceanographer, who is joined by author
and editor Scigliano, describes his career studying the ocean. The
book begins with his early experiences with the water and his
education, and continues with his work studying the ocean and its
mysteries, including its currents, icebergs, and garbage that turns
up on beaches, and how he used objects to track currents, including
sneakers spilled into the ocean in 1990.
Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Synopsis:Pioneering oceanographer Ebbesmeyer uncovers the astonishing story of flotsam, unravels the mystery of marine currents, and changes the world's views of trash, the ocean, and the global environment. b&w illustrations. About the Author Curtis Ebbesmeyer holds a Ph.D. in oceanography from the University of Washington. Media worldwide have turned to his expertise on ocean currents and floating objects. He lives in Seattle, Washington. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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