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  Plastic Duckies  
aka
Rubber Duckies

Although this website is dedicated to sea-beans,
"things that float and wash ashore" are often of interest to sea-beaners, in particular these ducks.
The following is a compilation of links on the subject.



Plastic duckies, often referred to as "rubber duckies" in the press, have been floating in the ocean ever since 1992 when they were liberated from a container which was lost from a ship due to high seas. The process is closely monitored by Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer. Duckies of interest have "The First Years" imprinted on their side.

The following links-chronology can be followed to inform oneself about the container spill that started it all, but also become informed of oceanic currents and efforts to study them to predict transport and dispersal of a variety of items or matierial inadvertently deposited into the ocean.


On Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer's website: Beachcombers Alert there is a page that has drift model output from OSCURS (Ocean Surface CURrent Simulations) and Beachcomber's Alert Blog that shows the predicted/actual drift rates of oceanic floaters. Access the Beachcombers Alert site and click on the "Photos" button. From there, click on "Of Shoes And Ships And Rubber Ducks And A Message In A Bottle".


Links:
  • I found a duck - the world's first online / offline global plastic duck race

  • Rubber Duckies and Seabeans and Turtles, Oh my!

  • Reprinted courtesy of the author, Susan Bleiberg, and Lake Chapala Review. August 2004

  • A new book about the ducks: 10 Little Rubber Ducks - by Eric Carle; ©2005; Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0-06-074075-2
  • Why oceanographers love plastic duckies
  • Lost Sea Cargo: Beach Bounty or Junk? - National Geographic, Janice Podsada, HeraldNet, June 19, 2001

  • Rubber Ducks Make Cross-Oceanic Voyage - NPR, July 8, 2003
  • Duckies now call the ocean their bathtub - July 8, 2003
  • Far-Flung Bathtub Toys (Rubber Ducks) Due in New England After Floating for 10 Years - July 11, 2003
  • Rubber Duckies Find A Way Home - July 14, 2003
  • Drifting rubber duckies chart oceans of plastic - Peter Ford, Christian Science Monitor, July 31, 2003
  • Thousands to invade Boston by sea - Noreascon Four, July 31, 2003
  • Duckplanet Home: Rubber Ducks, Rubber Ducks and more Rubber Ducks - August, 2003
  • Rubber duckies wash ashore after 11 years - August 1, 2003
  • Rubber Duckies Map The World - CBS News, July 31, 2003

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