pbs高端访谈:污染物随降雨进入水体致有毒鸡尾酒

 　　JEFFREY BROWN:For those stations not taking a pledge break, we go beneath Washington’s Puget Sound to look at stormwater runoff.

　　Our story comes from our colleagues at KCTS9 in Seattle. Katie Campbell reports for Earth Fix, a public media project focused on environment reporting in the northwest.

　　KATIE CAMPBELL:Laura James has been diving in Puget Sound for more that 20 years.

　　LAURA JAMES, DIVER: Just the feeling of being weightless, it’s just like flying. The animals are fantastic and so different than anything you’ll ever see up here on the surface. It’s kind of like going into wonderland.

　　I don’t think that people realize what a gem¹ we have. It’s the Emerald Sea. It’s got so much life. The cold water has more nutrients²; it can hold more oxygen, hold more nutrients than warm water, so you get tremendous invertebrate³ marine⁴ life. You get octopus⁵ and wolf eels⁶ and all sorts of sea slugs, just every color of the rainbow.

　　You go beneath the sea, and it’s you’re in this different world, and it’s mesmerizing⁷ and brilliant.

　　KATIE CAMPBELL: One day, she came across something in the water that has haunted her ever since.

　　LAURA JAMES:We were coming up the slope, and I saw what looked like a piling. It was this big black column, and as we got closer I realized that it was actually a storm outfall. And it was so full of road grime and who knows what that it was just black. And it was just billowing and billowing and it was, it just doesn’t stop.

　　I of course went home and I started looking it up on the Internet. I’m like "what’s in stormwater?" And I’m like, "we don’t want that there."KATIE CAMPBELL:Stormwater is a toxic⁸ cocktail⁹ of sediment¹⁰, grease, tire wear, and any litter small enough to slip into storm drains. And that’s just what you can see. There’s much more we can’t see.

　　Microscopic¹¹ particles of heavy metals like copper¹² and zinc¹³ are commonly found in urban highway runoff. There’s also oil and petroleum-based hydrocarbons¹⁴. Contrary to what a lot of people think, runoff is Puget Sound’s biggest source of pollution.

　　GILES PETTIFOR, King County Stormwater Permit Team: Approximately 50 percent of the region believe that stormwater is treated, is captured and then conveyed for treatment to a treatment plan of some type. When in fact this doesn’t take place, and almost all of this water goes off totally untreated.

　　KATIE CAMPBELL:Throughout the United States, so much land has been paved over that the total amount of impervious¹⁵ surfaces would cover an area the size of Ohio. Every time water washed over these hard surfaces, pollutants¹⁶ pour into the nearest waterway.

　　JENNIFER MCINTYRE, Washington State University: All these impervious surfaces means that water can’t get through them, whereas if it rains in the forest, the water hits the ground and then very slowly seeps¹⁷ into the soil, and the soil acts like a sponge. It slows down the water, it cleans the water out, it filters it. And obviously an impervious surface like pavement just doesn’t do that at all.

　　KATIE CAMPBELL: Jennifer McIntyre is leading a team that’s studying how polluted runoff impacts aquatic¹⁸ animals. The team recently collected runoff form a highway in Seattle and trucked it down to the Washington Stormwater Center.

　　It’s one of the only facilities in the world that’s conducting cutting edge research on what’s known as green stormwater infrastructure¹⁹.

　　GILES PETTIFOR:Green stormwater infrastructure is building stormwater control structures that more closely mimic²⁰ natural settings – things like rain gardens, bio-soils, green roofs, these are developing facilities or things that help improve water quality that are trying to mimic those natural filtration, you know, aspects of water infiltrating²¹ into the ground, or flowing through vegetation.

　　KATIE CAMPBELL:Around the northwest and across the country, new rules are being written that would require cities and counties to adopt green stormwater methods. But this prospect²² is causing some concern. Because green stormwater methods, such as rain gardens, are relatively²³ new, little is known about them, or even whether they’d make any difference.

　　JENNIFER MCINTYRE:People are running out there and just building rain gardens, and that’s great, but there’s the potential for them not to work because we don’t know very much about them yet. So some of the things we’re hoping to learn here at this facility are: what are the best soil mixtures to use, what are the best plants to use, how long will these systems hold up to a continuous input²⁴ of contaminants coming from stormwater runoff.

　　We know that they reduce some of the contaminants in stormwater. We know that the flows can be reduced. These are all really good things. But is that enough? Is that enough to protect wild fish and their food web from some of the harmful effects of stormwater runoff.

　　KATIE CAMPBELL:That’s what MacIntyre is trying to find out.

　　Once all the stormwater was mixed and samples were taken, the team filtered half the water through soil columns that mimic what happens in a rain garden. They then filled this series of aquariums²⁶ – half with the straight highway runoff and half with runoff that had gone through rain garden filtration.

　　JENNIFER MCINTYRE:And each aquarium²⁵ got 10 juvenile²⁷ Coho salmon²⁸ and then pretty much we waited to see what would happen.

　　KATIE CAMPBELL:Her plan was to monitor the salmon for four days, but within 12 hours all the fish that were in the straight highway runoff were dead. And the fish in the filtered runoff? All still alive.

　　JENNIFER MCINTYRE:I think it’s really telling that we can take something as concentrated and toxic as highway runoff and pass it through soil columns and have it no longer be acutely lethal²⁹ to fish.

　　KATIE CAMPBELL:While Jennifer McIntyre searches for answers in the lab, Laura James is trying to raise awareness³⁰ in the real world by documenting the effects of stormwater with her camera.

　　LAURA JAMES:If I can capture this on film, if I can share this, it will truly give our waters a voice. Because people see it, and they’re they’re just – it’s like shock. They stop what they’re doing and they actually look. It’s like a connection.

　　I see Puget Sound and our oceans as a reflection of us. They’re a reflection of our humanity and these stormdrains are like a conduit of our humanity running in there.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF:The Environmental Protection Agency at the federal level is in the process of strengthening national storm water regulations.

1 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

2 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 invertebrate   

n.无脊椎动物

参考例句：

• Half of all invertebrate species live in tropical rain forests.一半的无脊椎动物物种生活在热带雨林中。
• Worms are an example of invertebrate animals.蠕虫是无脊椎动物的一个例子。

4 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。

5 octopus   

n.章鱼

参考例句：

• He experienced nausea after eating octopus.吃了章鱼后他感到恶心。
• One octopus has eight tentacles.一条章鱼有八根触角。

6 eels   

abbr. 电子发射器定位系统（=electronic emitter location system）

参考例句：

• Eels have been on the feed in the Lower Thames. 鳗鱼在泰晤士河下游寻食。
• She bought some eels for dinner. 她买回一些鳗鱼做晚餐。

7 mesmerizing   

adj.有吸引力的，有魅力的v.使入迷( mesmerize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I think you must be mesmerizing me, Charles. 查尔斯，我想你一定在对我施催眠术啦。 来自辞典例句
• The attendant one-dimensional wave equation has mesmerizing harmonic properties. 伴生的一元波平衡具有迷人的和谐特性。 来自电影对白

8 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

9 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

10 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。

11 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。

12 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

13 zinc   

n.锌；vt.在...上镀锌

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• Zinc is used to protect other metals from corrosion.锌被用来保护其他金属不受腐蚀。

14 hydrocarbons   

n.碳氢化合物，烃( hydrocarbon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hydrocarbons (HC), like carbon monoxide, represent unburned and wasted fuel. 碳氢化合物(HC)像一氧化碳一样，为未燃尽的和被浪费掉的燃料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• With this restricted frequency range it is not applicable to hydrocarbons. 这个较紧缩的频率范围不适用于烃类。 来自辞典例句

15 impervious   

adj.不能渗透的，不能穿过的，不易伤害的

参考例句：

• He was completely impervious to criticism.他对批评毫不在乎。
• This material is impervious to gases and liquids.气体和液体都透不过这种物质。

16 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

17 seeps   

n.（液体）渗( seep的名词复数 )；渗透；渗出；漏出v.（液体）渗( seep的第三人称单数 )；渗透；渗出；漏出

参考例句：

• Water seeps through sand. 水渗入沙中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Water seeps out of the wall. 水从墙里沁出。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 aquatic   

adj.水生的，水栖的

参考例句：

• Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing.水上运动包括游泳和划船。
• We visited an aquatic city in Italy.我们在意大利访问过一个水上城市。

19 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

20 mimic   

v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人

参考例句：

• A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

21 infiltrating   

v.（使）渗透，（指思想）渗入人的心中( infiltrate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Be vigilant against the danger of enemy agents infiltrating the government and boring from within. 要警惕敌特渗入政府内部进行暗中破坏。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The metastatic melanoma is seen here to be infiltrating into the myocardium. 图示转移性黑色素瘤浸润到心肌。 来自互联网

22 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

23 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

24 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

25 aquarium   

n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸

参考例句：

• The first time I saw seals was in an aquarium.我第一次看见海豹是在水族馆里。
• I'm going to the aquarium with my parents this Sunday.这个星期天，我要和父母一起到水族馆去。

26 aquariums   

n.养鱼缸，水族馆( aquarium的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Biotope aquariums represent the natural environments of ornamental fish. 生态鱼缸表现出观赏鱼的自然生活环境。 来自互联网
• There are aquariums in many cities in the world. 世界上好多城市有水族馆。 来自互联网

27 juvenile   

n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的

参考例句：

• For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人，他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
• Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。

28 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

29 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

30 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。