How long would it take a coconut to float from the Caribbean to the west coast of Scotland?
It鈥檚 an interesting question, and the jury is still out. The coconut palm seed (Cocos nucifera) is the best known of the drift fruits, and it is claimed that viable coconuts have been found as far north as Norway. However, these may have been tossed from ships into the North Sea rather than drifting all the way from the Caribbean. The chances are that a coconut would sink long before reaching Scotland, despite being carried by that 鈥渞iver in the ocean鈥�, the Gulf Stream.
There is more chance of finding flotsam lost from the cargo vessels that ply our oceans, however. For example, in 1992 an armada of 29,000 rubber ducks and other bath toys were spilled overboard during a storm from a container ship as it crossed the Pacific Ocean. Curtis Ebbesmeyer, a retired oceanographer, has been tracking their progress. Now bleached white but still identifiable because of the logo 鈥淭he First Years鈥� that is stamped on them, each duck has a $100 price on its head, an incentive for beachcombers to report their finds and help scientists develop better models of our oceans.
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It is thought that a flotilla of these ducks has reached the Atlantic by navigating their way through the Northwest Passage. The ducks have already proved that flotsam travels up to twice the speed of ocean currents.
To revert back to the original question, using this observation and knowing the varying speeds of the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift, it would take the hypothetical coconut about 16 months to make the journey from the Caribbean.
Mike Follows, Willenhall, West Midlands, UK
The subject of drift objects has occupied the minds of scientists for over three centuries, and of sailors for much longer, long ago leading to experiments. Surface currents determine the rate of travel of drifting objects. Bottles released in the northern part of the West Indies take 14 months on average to reach European beaches. The quickest recorded passage was 337 days from Hispaniola to south-west Ireland, a rate of 20 kilometres per day.
鈥淪urface currents determine the rate of travel of drift objects. Bottles released in the north West Indies take 14 months on average to reach Europe鈥�
The time needed for an object to float from the Caribbean or South America to Scotland would be longer, probably at least 15 months. About 20 tropical plant species, including coconut, have fruits or seeds capable of remaining afloat in salt water for this length of time 鈥� a few seeds have even germinated after floating across the Atlantic. However, the great majority of coconuts found on European beaches have probably been discarded locally or lost overboard from ships.
Colin McLeod, Dundee, UK