Define the following terms: Current is directed movement of seawater generated by a number of forces acting upon the water and Gyre is a large system of rotating ocean currents. Using the map and the data points, what can you conclude about the general pathway the shoes took?
Compare the pathway of the shoes to the map showing the major surface currents in the Pacific. Which current(s) did the shoes most likely encounter? Add these to your map. (2 points)
Which data point is an outlier? What may have happened to this batch of shoes? (2 points)
How fast did the shoes travel? Use this tool from the National Hurricane Center to help convert the latitude and longitude points into kilometers. (4 points)
From where the shoes spilled (48°N, 161°W) to where they first made landfall (49°N, 126°W), how many kilometers did they travel? How many days did they take to travel that distance? (you can use November 30 as the date found). What was their rate of travel in kilometers per hour? 1380 n mil
From where the shoes spilled (48°N, 161°W) to where they were found in 1996 (54°N, 133°W), how many kilometers did they travel? How many days did they take to travel that distance (use April 30 as the date found)? What was their rate of travel in kilometers per hour?
The shoes traveled faster than the rubber ducks and bath toys. Propose a hypothesis to explain the why the shoes traveled faster, and develop a plan to test your prediction. (2 points)
The shoes floated low in the water, while the ducks floated high in the water. How could this fact have changed the course and speed of both the shoes and the ducks? (2 points)
Give a possible explanation why some shoes drifted northward along the coast while others drifted southward. (2 points)
Your friend has invited you onto her family's boat for a day of fishing. After lunch on the boat, your friend wants to throw a bag of trash overboard. After researching the impact currents have on objects, explain what you would do in this situation and why. (2 points)