英国科学家探测海洋来预测气候

 　　The "twilight¹ zone" refers to the area between 100 and 1000 metres deep where a small amount of sunlight can still penetrate².

　　The region is packed with ocean life that plays a key role in keeping atmospheric³ carbon-dioxide levels 30-percent lower than they otherwise would be.

　　Previous scientific instruments are typically designed to either sink to the ocean floor or float on the surface.

　　Professor Richard Sanders with UK's National Oceanography Centre is leading a team to devise an instrument called PELAGRA, or pelagic lagrangian sediment⁴ trap, which can suspend within the area.

　　英国科学家探测海洋来预测气候

　　"So what this does is it samples the bit between about 50 and 500 metres, that's where a lot of the action is. We've got stuff sinking and there are lots of organisms that live there eating it. And what we want to know is what they're doing. What this device does is it captures the flux⁵ at different depths in that depth range, so we can work out what the organisms that live there are doing."

　　PELAGRA's sediment traps will help scientists calculate the carbon entering the oceans by providing a sample of the volume of sediment, known as "marine⁶ snow" that sinks in a given period of time.

　　Ocean Biochemist with the NOC Dr. Stephanie Henson explains.

　　"So, marine snow is composed of dead phytoplankton which sort of clump⁷ together to form flakes⁸ and then they're heavy enough to sink down into the deep ocean. It can also be formed of little animals which eat the little plants and then they poop out that carbon, and then their faecal pellets are very heavy and they sink down to the bottom of the ocean, also carrying lots of carbon with them."

　　She said scientists have known about marine snow's carbon-absorbing mechanism⁹ for over half a century.

　　However, it was not known until now that technology has allowed for accurate measurements.

　　The team is preparing to conduct two missions in the South Atlantic Ocean.

　　"And this new project that we're working on is going to try and figure out what kind of things control when and where we get this marine snow occurring, how much carbon it takes down into the deep ocean and, ultimately, the data we collect, we're going to build new models which are going to help us to better predict the ocean storage of carbon and its impact on the climate."

　　Henson said the research will lead to more advanced computer climate models that could more accurately¹⁰ predict future climate change.

　　For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.

1 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

2 penetrate   

v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解

参考例句：

• Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
• The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。

3 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

4 sediment   

n.沉淀，沉渣，沉积(物)

参考例句：

• The sediment settled and the water was clear.杂质沉淀后，水变清了。
• Sediment begins to choke the channel's opening.沉积物开始淤塞河道口。

5 flux   

n.流动；不断的改变

参考例句：

• The market is in a constant state of flux.市场行情在不断变化。
• In most reactors,there is a significant flux of fast neutrons.在大部分反应堆中都有一定强度的快中子流。

6 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 clump   

n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走

参考例句：

• A stream meandered gently through a clump of trees.一条小溪从树丛中蜿蜒穿过。
• It was as if he had hacked with his thick boots at a clump of bluebells.仿佛他用自己的厚靴子无情地践踏了一丛野风信子。

8 flakes   

小薄片( flake的名词复数 )； （尤指）碎片； 雪花； 古怪的人

参考例句：

• It's snowing in great flakes. 天下着鹅毛大雪。
• It is snowing in great flakes. 正值大雪纷飞。

9 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

10 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。