Includes bibliographical references (pages 247-266) and index.

Pioneering oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer unravels the mystery of marine currents, uncovers the astonishing story of flotsam, and changes the world's view of trash, the ocean, and our global environment by calling attention to the threats that global warming and disintegrating plastic waste pose to the seas--and to us. Preface: A new world -- Chasing water -- Oil and icebergs -- Messages in bottles -- Eureka, a sneaker! -- Coffins, castaways, and cadavers -- The admiral of the floating world -- Borne on a black current -- The great conveyor -- Ashes to ashes, life from the sea -- Junk beach and garbage patch -- The synthetic sea -- The music of the gyres.