Flotsametrics and the Floating World: How One Man’s Obsession with Runaway Sneakers and Rubber Ducks Revolutionized Ocean Science — The Environmental Science of Garbage

“Ebbesmeyer’s goal is noble and fresh: to show how the flow of ocean debris around the world reveals ‘the music’ of the world’s oceans.”

—New York Times Book Review

Through the fascinating stories of flotsam, one of the Earth’s greatest secrets is revealed. In Flotsametrics and the Floating World, maverick scientist Curtis Ebbesmeyer details how his obsession with floating garbage—from rubber ducks to discarded Nike sneakers—helped to revolutionize ocean science. Scientist and environmentalist David Suzuki, host of CBC TV’s “The Nature of Things,” calls Flotsametrics and the Floating World  “Science and storytelling at its very best.” “A very enjoyable, if at times dark, book” (Nature), it is must reading for anyone interested in Oceanography, Environmental Science, and the way our world works.

Part scientific discovery, part travelogue, Flotsametrics and the Floating World uncovers the hidden stories of the sea:

• The Great Sneaker Spill: Follow the incredible 2,000-mile journey of 61,000 Nike sneakers lost at sea, a serendipitous experiment that reshaped our understanding of the North Pacific.
• Citizen Science at its Best: Learn how a worldwide network of beachcombers became essential field volunteers, collecting telltale clues from rubber ducks to hockey gloves washed up on shore.
• Forensic Oceanography: Explore the stranger side of flotsam, from messages in bottles and ancient shipwrecks to the eerie science of tracking drifting human remains.
• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: Discover the truth behind the vast, swirling collections of marine plastic pollution, and what the hidden "music of the gyres" tells us about the health of our planet.

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.

Eric Scigliano, winner of Livingston and AAAS prizes for reporting, has written for Harper's, New Scientist, the New York Times, and many other publications. His books include Puget Sound, Michelangelo's Mountain, and Love, War, and Circuses.