Tracking Trash

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion	Houghton Mifflin Books
Written by Loree Griffin Burns	2007
Nonfiction	56 pages
Reading Level ages 9-12

Summary

This is all about the studies Curt Ebbsmeyer has observed and created. He studies the flow of trash and objects that fall into the sea, mainly from crates that fall off cargo ships on route. Dr. Curt’s assistants are mainly volunteers that work to keep the ocean clean with fundraisers and beach trash collecting events. It all started when his mother found an article about sneakers floating up on the west coast. There were thousands of them. He asked around and beachcombers from all over were calling him with their shoe finding serial numbers. He was able to find the exact ship that lost the shoe shipment and track the path the shoes took to end up on the beaches. In the old days currents were tracked by sealed messages in a bottle marking the location in longitude and latitude. Now there are floating satellite trackers that are monitored by computers. These were very expensive and through they were useful, when the batteries died, they weren’t replaced. Another spill was recorded of bath toys: ducks, beavers, frogs and turtles. He started researching the details and predicted where and when the floating objects would start to arrive on the beaches. The bath toys arrived earlier than the shoes would have if they were released at the same time. The shoe would be weighed down and be partially submerged, flowing with the currents. But the rubber ducks floated mostly above the water, so they are susceptible to the wind current and pushed faster than the shoe just being moved by the water movement. There is an area that Curt and his other scientists observed. In between Hawaii and the coast of California, there is a Garbage patch. The currents were keeping the plastic pieces trapped within that area as big as Alaska. They found six pounds of plastic trash for every pound of zooplankton, microscopic animals. Plastic is one of the most durable elements and why it stays in the system longer than any pollutant. Another study estimated the number of mammals dying each year due to plastic either ingestion or strangulation is 100,000. This realization prompted Curt to establish beach cleaning clubs and being aware of what you are throwing away, to recycle more.

Reaction

It was a fascinating read. I was surprised how long plastic stays in the ocean and how large the Garbage patch was. It was interesting with enough pictures to explain the information in the text.

Potential Problems

There are pictures of dead animals. It is to show the harm that is caused by the large amounts of plastic and floating nets in the ocean.

Recommendations

I would recommend this book to students who are interested in learning more about ocean’s currents and ways to do their part to be more environment friendly.