美国国家公共电台 NPR--Why the waters off the west coast of the Galapagos Islands are getting colder

Why the waters off the west coast of the Galapagos Islands are getting colder

Transcript¹

While the majority of the world's oceans are warming, the waters off the west coast of the Galapagos Islands are getting colder — creating a refuge from climate change for birds and marine² animals.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

The world's oceans are warming. But the change is not the same everywhere. And the waters off the west coast of Ecuador's Galapagos Islands are actually getting colder.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And that cool water creates a refuge from climate change for coral reefs, birds and marine animals.

MART?NEZ: A researcher at the University of Colorado, Boulder³, says he knows why this region keeps cool.

KRIS KARNAUSKAS: It's called the equatorial undercurrent. And it flows eastward⁴ along the Pacific Ocean.

INSKEEP: Kris Karnauskas is an associate professor of atmospheric⁵ and oceanic science. He says when that undercurrent hits the islands, it pushes cool, nutrient-rich water to the surface.

KARNAUSKAS: Which is essentially⁶ what sustains life in the marine realm.

MART?NEZ: Karnauskas and his team analyzed⁷ satellite data. They found the water in the area has cooled by about 1 degree Fahrenheit⁸ over the past 40 years.

KARNAUSKAS: That's quite an interesting trend, considering most of the rest of the world ocean is warming.

INSKEEP: And the equatorial undercurrent isn't just cooling.

KARNAUSKAS: It's actually been strengthening. And of course, the longer that holds on, the better for the ecosystem⁹ in that region.

MART?NEZ: Karnauskas hopes to put off the day when it changes.

KARNAUSKAS: If it's the type of ecosystem that might have a little bit of an extra running start in the fight against climate change, you know, it might hold on longer. It might enable other regions to hold on and to survive. And I would say that it's a candidate for taking an extra close look at trying to really conserve¹⁰ this region.

MART?NEZ: Karnauskas hopes that if this area is protected, it could possibly serve as a gene¹¹ bank to help restore biodiversity in marine ecosystems¹² in other parts of the world.

(SOUNDBITE OF AESUNO AND RELI BEATS' "BASE DE RAP BOOMBAP")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 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。

3 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

4 eastward   

adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部

参考例句：

• The river here tends eastward.这条河从这里向东流。
• The crowd is heading eastward,believing that they can find gold there.人群正在向东移去，他们认为在那里可以找到黄金。

5 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。

6 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

7 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。

9 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

10 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！

11 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

12 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句