FLOTSAMETRICS AND THE FLOATING WORLD: HOW ONE MAN’S OBSESSION WITH RUNAWAY SNEAKERS AND RUBBER DUCKS REVOLUTIONIZED OCEAN SCIENCE

Book ID/图书代码： 07902208B25943

English Summary/英文概要： Curtis Ebbesmeyer is no ordinary scientist. Though he has degrees in engineering and oceanography, he’s never held a traditional academic post, choosing instead to consult, for everyone from the oil companies to Seattle sewage treatment facilities to the Navy, and then, along the way, he’s followed his interests, researching many different aspects of ocean currents. In May 1990 a Korean freighter was wracked by a storm and spilled its cargo - over 60,00 Nike sneakers - into the North Pacific. Soon, these sneakers were carried away on the ocean’s currents and found washing up on coasts around the world. Ebbesmeyer realized that he could use the exact time and location of the spill, along with the location that each sneaker (conveniently individually tagged) was salvaged to track the ocean current which brought it there!This new science technique quickly captured the imaginations of beachcombers and media around the world, particularly after the spill of 29,000 plastic bath toys in 1992. Ebbesmeyer gathered a worldwide team of volunteers, and continued to search out and document the location at which the objects, set afloat by cargo spills, finally hit the shore. It is a fascinating look at the creativity and energy of a most unusual man - as well as offering an amazing look at what currents have meant for the world and especially mankind through the centuries.

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 1990年五月，一艘韓國貨船受強烈風暴的襲擊，不幸失事。其裝載的6000多雙Nike運動鞋全數落入北太平洋，之後被洋流沖到世界各地的海岸區域，下落不明。
這一新聞著實引起海洋學博士Curtis Ebbesmeyer的關注。有別於其他科學家，儘管已獲得海洋學工程學位，Curtis卻從未擔任過任何相關學術上的職務。相反的，他憑個人興趣對洋流的各種狀況進行探索研究。
此次船隻失事令他想到可以通過被沖到岸邊的船隻碎片或箱子殘骸的地理位置和具體時間，來沿途打撈落入海中的運動鞋，從而判斷、追蹤將這些漂浮物帶到不同地區海岸的洋流特徵。鑒於遺失運動鞋都貼有標籤，因此辨別起來還是很方便的。
針對搜尋並記錄該船隻殘骸隨波逐流後的所在位置需要花費的精力，Curtis Ebbesmeyer特地在全世界範圍內建立起一支志願者隊伍，來完成這項調研工作。這種方法被推薦為用於調查搜集洋流資訊的新型科學技術，尤其在1992年發生的大批量塑膠玩具散落大海的事件後，此舉更是聚焦了全世界海灘拾荒者和媒體的目光。

"鴨子艦隊"漂流歷程：
1992年1月10日--貨船在太平洋東部海域遭遇暴風雨，裝滿2.9萬隻玩具的集裝箱墜入海中開裂。
1992年11月16--約1萬隻玩具趕上洋極環流(subpolar gyre)，被凍在寒冷的浮冰裡，開始慢慢流向美國阿拉斯加海岸。
1995年早些時候-- 1.9萬隻玩具完成了1萬多公里的太平洋副熱帶環流抵達印度尼西亞、澳大利亞、南美洲和夏威夷等地海域。科學家分析，這些玩具的漂流速度比洋流中水流速度快了近50%。
1995年至2000年年間--部分玩具脫離洋極環流，開始向北漂流，而其他的部分繼續飄向極地。
2000年--部分玩具進入北大西洋海域，開始向南漂流。之後，少部分抵達美國東北部海岸。
2001年--在鐵達尼號沉船地點發現玩具的蹤影。
2003年7月至12月--玩具開始抵達美國新英格蘭各州。加拿大和冰島等海岸。最初從中國進口這批玩具的美國公司"The First Years"表示，願意以每隻100美元的高價將鴨子收回。同時，英國開始預測，"鴨子艦隊"將于07年某時"入侵"英國海岸。(CL)

Awards/获奖情况：【相關新聞】
http://www.gamemaster.com.tw/home/showthread.php?t=46353

http://soulspell.blogspot.com/2007/07/15.html

http://tw.class.urlifelinks.com/class/?csid=css000000039322&id=model3&cl=1189064279-5000-784&mode=con&m3k=1202830807-531-4855&_ulinktreeid=

Review
Whether you want to learn more about how the oceans tick or how we are affecting our environment, or to reminisce about science not being what it used to be, this is a very enjoyable, if at times dark, book.---Nature

“As much genial personal memoir as pop-oceanography exposition…When science goes right, we discover how mid-ocean spills of hockey gloves or rubber ducks enhance oceanographic understanding---The Guardian

“With a whimsical mood overlaying serious science, Ebbesmeyer’s work will appeal to the environmentally minded.”---Booklist

“Light and lively...Shoes, messages in bottles, and floating rubber ducks have kept Ebbesmeyer’s eye on the big picture. Besides, as readers will readily agree, they’ve been a lot of fun to study.”---Natural History magazine

“Part oceanography lesson, part memoir, this cheerful book examines Ebbesmeyer’s life and work as a pioneering oceanographer (the first to work for Mobil/Standard Oil, in 1969) and connoisseur of beach-combed artifacts.”---Publishers Weekly

About the Author/作者介绍： Curt Ebbsemeyer holds a PhD in oceanography from the University of Washington. He also publishes the quarterly newsletter BEACHCOMBERS’ ALERT. Eric Scigliano is a science writer who has written about maritime issues and marine ecosystems for over 20 years. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, National Geographic, Discover, and Harper’s, among other publications. He is the author of three books, most recently Michelangelo’s Mountain, and has recieved Livingston, Kennedy, and American Association for the Advancement of Science writing honours.
Curtis Ebbesmeyer，華盛頓大學海洋學博士。
1992 年由中國替美國公司製造一箱橡膠製洗澡玩具，在一艘貨船上於太平洋被水沖下船然後裂開。海洋學家 Curtis Ebbesmeyer在此期間，追蹤這些由 29000 隻塑膠黃色小鴨、藍海龜、綠青蛙所組成的洗澡玩具艦隊。這些橡膠製玩具漂流 17000 英里(27359 公里），飄過鐵達尼號沈沒之處、登陸夏威夷，甚至有好幾年的時間被冰凍在北極冰層中，目前為止它們已經環繞世界半圈。
Curtis Ebbesmeyer發現這些玩具對於海洋科學來說是一種無價的幫助，因為這些玩具幫助研究員標示出大洋流的圖表，它們漂流的過程比科學家使用的浮標更具有準確性，因此Curtis正確的預測出許多人都認為不可能預測出的東西，這些洗澡玩具有幾千隻被衝入靠近阿拉斯加的北極冰當中，然後一天只漂流 1 英里(1.6 公里)，冷凍在冰層中，然後在冰的推擠簇擁下通過西北航道(North-West Passage)進入北極。
這項發現在多年後被證實，更在 2003 年，有人在美加東部海岸發現第一隻黃色小鴨，因為這些玩具對於科學的重要性，美國公司也提供給發現者，每發現一隻就有 50 英鎊的賞金。Curtis Ebbesmeyer說明這些洗澡玩具艦隊必然會趕上大西洋洋流，而且會出現在英格蘭海灘上。

Eric Scigliano，擁有20餘年報導海洋與環境相關事宜的經驗。他的作品蘊含對普吉特海灣和米開朗基羅山脈的精彩描寫。現居華盛頓的西雅圖。

Format:照片

Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE(到期可授)

Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE(到期可授)

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