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Tracking Trash | LitPick Book Reviews
Tracking Trash
Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion (Scientists in the Field Series)
Tracking Trash
Loree Griffin Burns
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.

Book Details

Genre: 

  • Nonfiction

Age Level: 

  • 12 and up
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The book, "Tracking Trash", is mostly about objects, such as Nike tennis shoes or bath toys being thrown overboard, by accident, and Curt, the main scientist, making a great discovery out of it. Curt finds some most unusual ways to learn about ocean currents, like putting radars on Nike shoes and having them float in the ocean, and when they reach shore a beachcomber finds the shoe and reports back to Curt. To help him with this Curt uses OSCURS, a program that can tell, (depending an where you dropped the item), what day, month, and year it will find a beach.

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