Tracking Trash

Book: Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion Author: Loree Griffin Burns
Audience: Grades 4 to 8
In a Nutshell: what Nikes can teach us about the ocean

In 1990, the cargo ship Hansa Carrier lost five containers full of Nikes overboard in a storm during a voyage from Korea to the U.S. As it turns out, sneakers float and stand up to ocean corrosion very well. An oceanographer named Curt Ebbesmeyer saw a golden opportunity to study ocean currents. He recruited the help of beachcombers all along the West Coast and beyond to report back to him where and when they found the shoes that washed ashore. Where they turned up taught him all sorts of things about how ocean currents work. Dr. Ebbesmeyer went on to track a lost shipment of plastic tub toys and plenty of other ocean-going trash.

I skimmed the book and found it interesting. It's pretty texty and in-depth on the topic, which is why I didn't read every word, but there are also good pictures and maps for browsers like me. If you're looking for solid info on oceanography, you'll find that here as well.