Caught in the drift: sea-beans and ocean currents

For centuries, sea-bean and drift seeds have traveled on the world ocean's currents, being distributed along coasts and around the world. And, for centuries, finding these world travelers has delighted beachcombers, young and old, who value them as much as they would a rare shell.

The majority of drift seeds found on east coast beaches come from tropical plants that use ocean currents for seed dispersal. These plants are native to the Caribbean, Central America, and/or South America. But, reaching nearby or distant shores does not guarantee survival. Some of these seeds float for months or years, ending up far from their native soil, perhaps landing on another continent.

Questions naturally arise when a beachcomber finds something unusual and unique on the beach. o What is this item -- animal, vegetable, or mineral? o Where could this thing have originated? o How did it get here from there? All interesting questions, but what else can you learn from these drifters?

Using sea-beans and drift seeds creates a unique, multidisciplinary subject that can be used to teach a variety of topics, including oceanography, botany, geography, biology, mapping, math, creative writing, etc. These magical and mysterious seeds offer fun, hands-on learning opportunities that include classroom lessons, arts and crafts, and outdoors experiences like beachcombing.

The author's long-time interest in sea-beans has led to the development of a hands-on activity for upper-level students or for use with teacher training. This exercise can be used alone, or in conjunction with the Maury Project module entitled Wind-driven Ocean Circulation that focuses on the gyre circulation patterns in the ocean basins.

Using actual sea-beans found on coasts in the North Atlantic Ocean basin, flash cards, maps, and reference materials, participants research the drift seeds that have been collected. They then plot beginning and ending points on a map and decide which ocean current(s) took the seed from its starting point to the beach on which it was discovered.

After calculating the distance and the average speed traveled, participants fill in a chart including the aforementioned computations, as well as the number of days needed for the drift seed to travel to its final destination.

Information is learned and skills practiced with this novel activity. In addition, this exercise meshes well with the recently developed essential principles and fundamental concepts of Ocean Literacy, such as the Earth has one big ocean with many features and the ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems.

Sea-beans and drift seeds have long captured the imagination of beachcombers worldwide. Get “Caught in the Drift” and learn more about sea-beans and ocean currents.