AUGUST 2009

Flotsametrics and the Floating World

By Curtis Ebbesmeyer and Eric Scigliano
Published by Smithsonian Books/HarperCollins Publishers

Rubber ducks, plastic nurdles, bottles, feet, and sneakers – what’s behind these curious items that float in our oceans? How far can they travel? In Flotsametrics and the Floating World, Curtis Ebbesmeyer and Eric Scigliano reveal how flotsam and jetsam circle our planet on endless oceanic gyres. They describe the oceans as an immense musical instrument, with eddies, loops, subgyres, and gyres moving together in perfect harmony

But pollution and climate change are threatening to turn this music into a cacophony. Ebbesmeyer first coined the term “garbage patch” to describe the vast accumulations of flotsam in our oceans, which cover an area more than twice the size of the U.S. These patches are toxic death traps: seabirds, seals and other marine animals choke on derelict fishing lines, bottle caps, and plastic bags. In addition to pollution impacts, global warming is rapidly melting glaciers and changing wind patterns and currents, disrupting the clock-like operation of our oceanic gyres.

CPAWS and WWF chose Flotsametrics as our Book of the Month. It is a fascinating and entertaining account of one scientist’s lifelong dream to unveil the secrets of the sea. But their message in a bottle is a grave one: our oceans are in peril.

You can help. Please enjoy Flotsametrics and pass it onto a friend. Contact politicians and urge them to take action on ensuring healthy oceans for all Canadians. Every voice counts.