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    Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion (Scientists in the Field Series)
    Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion (Scientists in the Field Series)
    Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion (Scientists in the Field Series)
    Ebook112 pages45 minutes

    Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion (Scientists in the Field Series)

    By Loree Griffin Burns

    ()

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    About this ebook

    The author of The Hive Detectives presents “a unique and often fascinating book on ocean currents, drifting trash, and the scientists who study them” (Booklist).

    Aided by an army of beachcombers, oceanographer Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer tracks trash in the name of science. From sneakers to hockey gloves, Curt monitors the watery fate of human-made cargo that has spilled into the ocean. The information he collects is much more than casual news; it is important scientific data. And with careful analysis, Curt, along with a community of scientists, friends, and beachcombers alike, is using his data to understand and protect our ocean.

    In engaging text and unforgettable images, readers meet the woman who started it all (Curt’s mother!), the computer program that makes sense of his data (nicknamed OSCURS), and several scientists, both on land and on the sea, who are using Curt’s discoveries to preserve delicate marine habitats and protect the creatures who live in them.

    A Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book for Nonfiction

    “Even kids not remotely interested in science might find this work captivating.”—Newsday

    “Loaded . . . with information, insight, and intellectual twists.”—Natural History Magazine

    “The well-written narration will keep readers engaged, and it’s excellent for reports. The science is clearly explained, and the vivid and lively photographs and well-labeled charts and diagrams help to create interest and build understanding. This title will get readers thinking and possibly acting on these problems.”—School Library Journal (starred review)

    “Scientific information builds from chapter to chapter, creating a natural detective story.”—Horn Book

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateDec 11, 2018
    ISBN9780547488936
    Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion (Scientists in the Field Series)
    Author

    Loree Griffin Burns

    LOREE GRIFFIN BURNS, Ph.D., did her doctoral at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The author of Beetle Busters, Tracking Trash, and The Hive Detectives, she is an award-winning writer whose books for young people have won many accolades, including ALA Notable designations, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book Award, an IRA Children’s Book Award, a Green Earth Book Award and two Science Books & Films (SB&F) Prizes. Loree holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry and her books draw heavily on both her passion for science and nature and her experiences as a working scientist. She lives with her husband and their three kids in a farmhouse in central New England, where she gardens, keeps chickens, and writes about science and scientists. She likes to think that one day she’ll fill the big old barn on their property with horses. Learn more about Loree at loreegriffinburns.com and follow her on Twitter @loreegburns.

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      Book preview

      Tracking Trash - Loree Griffin Burns

      To Mr. James Micarelli,

      teacher of science and other truly important things

      Copyright © 2007 by Loree Griffin Burns

      ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to trade.permissions@hmhco.com or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.

      hmhbooks.com

      A list of photo credits appears on page 55.

      Maps by Jerry Malone

      The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

      Burns, Loree Griffin.

      Tracking trash : flotsam, jetsam, and the science of ocean motion / by Loree Griffin Burns.

      p. cm.

      1. Ocean currents—Juvenile literature.

      2. Marine debris—Juvenile literature. I. Title.

      GC232.B87 2007

      551.46'2—dc22

      ISBN: 978-0-618-58131-3 hardcover

      ISBN: 978-0-547-32860-7 paperback

      eISBN 978-0-547-48893-6

      v1.1118

      Debris from a shipwreck lies near a patch of coral in the Pacific Ocean.

      CHAPTER ONE

      A Spill of Opportunity

      Benjamin Franklin, the famous inventor and patriot, was one of America’s earliest ocean scientists. Although he eventually conducted experiments at sea, Franklin’s early interest in the ocean stemmed from his job as deputy postmaster general of the American colonies. It was Franklin’s duty to ensure that mail was carried between Europe and the colonies as efficiently as possible. While studying the fastest routes across the Atlantic Ocean, he talked to the captains of merchant vessels and whaling ships. From them he learned about a strange stream of seawater that flowed across the Atlantic, a virtual river in the middle of the sea.

      The Franklin-Folger chart, published in 1769, shows the Gulf Stream as a dark river of seawater flowing west to east across the Atlantic Ocean.

      According to these experienced sailors, this stream followed a distinct west-to-east path across the ocean and its movement could help or hinder sailing ships. Ships headed from America to Europe could travel much faster if they sailed within the stream. Ships sailing from Europe to America, on the other hand, could be delayed for weeks if they tried to sail against the stream’s flow. Using this information, Franklin published the first map describing the so-called Gulf Stream in 1769. Its purpose was to improve the speed of mail, but Franklin’s map also provided early evidence that ocean movement can have a large impact on human activities.

      Though it was not clear in Franklin’s day, distinct streams of seawater exist throughout the world ocean. Modern ocean scientists, or oceanographers, call these streams currents, and we now know that they affect our world in ways that go far beyond the sailing of ships. For example, the location of ocean currents can dictate the climate of locations on land. Consider the fact that cities in Europe are much warmer than cities located at the same latitude on the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean, in North America. Scientists believe the warm waters of the Gulf Stream heat the winds that, in turn, carry a pleasant climate to northern Europe. Another example of the impact ocean currents have on our world is the weather event known as El Niño. During El Niño, shifting wind patterns and ocean currents in and around the southern Pacific Ocean trigger changes in the local environment. These changes, which can include depleted fish populations and increased rainfall, have a large impact on the lives and livelihoods of the people who live in this area.

      Flow chart; starting with currents, then an arrow pointing to weather, then an arrow pointing to climate, then an arrow pointing to environment

      From the natural sea beans on his favorite necklace to man-made plastic trash, Curt Ebbesmeyer is fascinated by how—and what—the ocean moves.

      What forces drive the ocean currents? What boundaries, if any, guide their path through the ocean? Can understanding ocean currents help us to preserve the marine environment

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