Earth and Sky:Aqua Technology 水资源监测科技

Aqua Technology 水资源监测科技

A new weather-monitoring satellite has been 30 years in the making, and some researchers think it's worth the wait. We'll speak with a scientist about the Aqua satellite -- on today's Earth and Sky.

DB: This is Earth and Sky. In May of 2002, NASA launched a state-of-the-art weather satellite called Aqua. It measures temperature and moisture in the atmosphere with highly sensitive infrared¹ and microwave sensors², called sounders.

JB: Aqua circles the globe each day, and along the way it gives scientists a wealth of information about weather and climate cycles. The sounders aboard Aqua require a cooling system to keep temperatures way below freezing, close to minus 270 Celsius³, or minus 450 degrees Fahrenheit⁴.

DB: We spoke⁵ with Moustafa Chahine, a member of Aqua's science team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. He said the satellite is working in ways that weren't anticipated.

Moustafa Chahine: We have developed the infrared microwave sounding system to give us the best temperature, the best moisture. Now in looking at it we are finding out that we can determine the amount of carbon dioxide in our own atmosphere and how it is changing. That was never a part of what we were contemplating⁶ doing. We can measure the amount of carbon monoxide. We can measure the amount of methane⁷ in our own atmosphere. All of it is coming because of the richness of the data and because of the accuracy with which we are getting it.

JB: For more about the Aqua satellite, come to earthsky.org. Special thanks today to NASA's Earth Science Enterprise. We're Block and Byrd for Earth and Sky.

1 infrared   

adj./n.红外线(的)

参考例句：

• Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
• Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。

2 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

3 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

4 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。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 contemplating   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
• She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

7 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。