NASA Uses Rubber Ducks In Climate Study

NASA researchers have dropped 90 rubber ducks into holes of Greenland's fastest moving glacier: the Jakobshavn Glacier in Baffin Bay. Scientists are unsure as to why glaciers speed up in the summer months. One theory is that the summer sun melts ice on the surface of the glacier, which creates pools of water, which then flow into moulins -- narrow tubular shafts in the glacier. These then transport the water from the top to the underside of the glacier. The rubber ducks, labeled with the words "science experiment" and "reward" in three languages, along with an email address, may provide some answers. It is hoped that in addition to bath time, the ducks can make a livable climate lots of fun.

Comments

As usual, the private sector does it better.

[inviolet]

There is already a flock of rubber ducks roaming around the arctic, probably still caught in one of the pelagic LaGrange points where ocean currents circle endlessly. The ducks were in a container that washed off the deck of a cargo ship. That is very sad because the West will never quite recover from this heartbreaking loss of a vital ton of injection-molded plastic crap from China.

In any event, this news item shows that once again, the private sector has done it smaller, faster, and cheaper than those bureaucratic zeebs at NASA.

Re:As usual, the private sector does it better.

[Anonymous Coward]

If we put enough plastic crap in the ocean the water will not evaporate. If water vapor a greenyhouse gas is not released glowbull worming will not happen.

UNLEASH THE plastic DUCKIES
and condoms and garbage bags and glad bags and food containers and stuff.....

`

I know you're not serious... but I'd like to point out there already *IS* a crapload of plastic floating around in the oceans. Due to the currents in the ocean it stays in the upper 300 ft of water, in the center of the ocean. It's vast quantities of dumped/lost plastic products, anything you can think of, consumer items as well as tons of the plastic pellets use by the plastic industry.

It's a serious hazard for everything that lives in and on the ocean. The plastic will collect in the stomaches of e.g. birds. Ervery oceanic bird has pieces of plastic in their stomach. They do die from undernutrition because their basic hunger signal gets disturbed.

Also these plastics gather up a lot of toxins, releasing it to everything that eats the plastic, and to everything that eats anything that ever ate the plastic, so eventually, us.

I've seen the results of all this, you won't believe the amount of plastic floating about. It's *HUGE*. If you live near the sea and go to the beach with a shovel and a sieve with mazes of like 2 mm, and filter *any* (seriously!) scoop of sand you'll see at least a couple, but probably a dozen pieces of plastic. Then look at your beach and imagine how many scoops that is!!

See here for a study on this subject... there's more plastic in the ocean then plankton!

Re:As usual, the private sector does it better.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm more concerned that the plastic in the ocean will be eaten by only the stupid birds and sealife, causing a widespread Darwin effect and creating a race of super-intelligent animals that will battle humans for control of the world.

I mean, we're running out of oil...can we afford another war right now?

AL GORE!

[sh3l1]

Soon the water will be warm enough to take a bath with those duckies.

Be careful

[ThanatosMinor]

Think what awful things could happen if someone wrote on the bottom of one of these duckies, "I seem to be having this tremendous difficulty with my lifestyle."

Rubber Duckie you're the one

[Anonymous Coward]

Every day when I
Make my way to the tubby
I find a little fella who's
Cute and yellow and chubby

Re:Rubber Duckie you're the one

[camperdave]

You could at least link to the classic.

Sounds like a Pixar Film...

[CuteSteveJobs]

Here's the original rubber duck pioneers: a crate full of rubber ducks washed over the side of a container ship. The brave little ducks (and their turtle friends) sailed the world's oceans, even surviving a four year trip frozen through the arctic.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0731/p01s04-woeu.html

We should continue this tradition by landing a rubber duck on the next spacecraft to Mars. A fitting tribute.

Reward?

[Anonymous Coward]

How much do they pay? Is it scaled to the economy of the finder's location? How long till it expires? Is it inflationally adjusted?

We must have Science types here who've been involved in tagging programs. What are the going rates? Is there any consensus or guidelines? How do you structure the budget for returns well after the program has ended, and most of the people moved on? Do University secretaries have a list of all past return programmes and updated contacts?

We could make up a RFC - Bottle Note Protocol.

In other news....

[indy_Muad'Dib]

Nasa upgraded its weather research supercomputer with wind up mice.

Where can Donald volunteer?

[bigsteve@dstc]

My rubber Donald wants to volunteer to be part of this experiment. Does anyone know where he can sign up?

Missing Rubber Duck Report

[renegadesx]

Missing: One large yellow rubber duck, answers to the name 'Rubber Duckie'
Has made apperances on childrens television shows
Please report any information on the whereabouts on Rubber Duckie to Ernie, Sesame St NY. +123 (456) 789-10-11-12
Cash reward