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A rubber duck accident helped researchers understand ocean currents

We’re used to any kind of “spills” in the ocean having disastrous effects, but this one proved to be something of a happy accident.

In 1992, a crate of bath toys on its way from China to the United States broke, spilling thousands of rubber ducks and other floating toys into the Pacific.

Oceanographers seized the opportunity to learn more about the movements of the ocean. Perfectly named oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer headed up the research efforts, asking beachgoers all over the world to report sightings of the duckies and their floating friends. The ducks traveled far and wide, ending up everywhere from Europe to Alaska to Hawaii and continuing to be spotted well into the 2000s.

The fleet of toys became affectionately known as “the Friendly Floatees.”

MANA Mo 07 Sept