PBS高端访谈:无人机改变我们对座头鲸的研究方法

JUDY WOODRUFF: And finally, to our "NewsHour" Shares, something of interest that caught our eye. Humpback whales have fascinated scientists for years. But as the "NewsHour"'s Julia Griffin reports, new, high-flying technology is helping¹ researchers better understand the behavior of these elusive² predators³.

JULIA GRIFFIN: Gliding⁴ above Antarctica icebergs⁵, this drone footage looks like something out of a nature documentary. But for marine⁶ ecologist Dave Johnston, the drone itself is a cutting edge tool for ocean science.

DAVE JOHNSTON, Marine Ecologist, Duke University: Drones are a technology that's really changing how we study a lot of things in marine environments.

JULIA GRIFFIN: Johnston leads Duke University's Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing Lab. The group uses fixed-wing and multi-rotor drones to study animal behavior and populations from above. It's a safer, cheaper and more precise method than the helicopters and planes traditionally used for aerial surveys.

DAVE JOHNSTON: If we're out here and we're cruising along on our ship and we see a group of whales, we can launch the small boat, we can be there within minutes to be able to take advantage of that particular instance. That's totally revolutionary for our work.

JULIA GRIFFIN: The boats Johnston has been on lately have been floating near the Western Antarctic Peninsula. In the Southern Hemisphere summer, it's a great place for observing bubble net feeding, the unique way humpback whales feed on patches of krill. The gentle giants work together to surround the tiny crustaceans⁷ with an ever-tightening spiral of bubbles. Their prey⁸ concentrated, the whales lunge upward with open mouths.

DAVE JOHNSTON: Imagine if your mouth went from your chin all the way to your belly⁹ button. That's pretty much the way it is for these whales. They engulf¹⁰ this very huge volume of water, squeeze the water out, and the baleen¹¹ that's in their mouth keeps the krill inside, kind of like a filter.

JULIA GRIFFIN: The team's work marks the first time drones have been used to capture bubble net feeding for research purposes. The technology not only captures the feeding itself in ultra-H.D., but allows scientists to quantify the temperature and size of the humpback whales.

DAVE JOHNSTON: It hasn't been since commercial whaling that we have really been able to measure them and estimate their mass. So, drones are a really incredible, noninvasive way to collect data that's actually really important.

JULIA GRIFFIN: That data will help scientists understand the role of humpback whales in the Antarctic ecosystem¹² as it reacts to climate change. For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Julia Griffin.

JUDY WOODRUFF: What remarkable¹³ video.

朱迪·伍德拉夫：最后，来到我们《新闻一小时》的分享环节，有些东西引起了我们的注意。座头鲸多年来一直吸引着科学家们的研究。但正如《新闻一小时》记者朱丽亚·格里芬所报道，高空飞行技术正在帮助研究者们更好地理解这些捕食者们的行为，它们是那么令人难以捉摸。

朱丽亚·格里芬：在南极洲冰山苍穹之上滑翔，这架无人机的足迹看起来就像是一部自然纪录片。但对于海洋生态学家戴夫·约翰斯顿来说，无人机本身就是一种研究海洋科学的尖端工具。

戴夫·约翰斯顿，海洋生态学家，杜克大学：无人机这种技术，真正在改变我们进行海洋环境研究的方式。

朱丽亚·格里芬：约翰斯顿是杜克大学海洋机器人及遥感实验室的负责人。该研究团队使用固定翼及多旋翼无人机从空中对动物行为及种群进行研究。相比传统用于航空勘测的直升机和飞机而言，无人机更安全、更经济、更精确。

戴夫·约翰斯顿：如果我们在这里，在船上进行巡航，而这时我们发现了鲸鱼群，我们可以派出小船，几分钟内就可以到达那里，对鱼群进行研究。这对我们的工作来说完全是革命性的改变。

朱丽亚·格里芬：约翰斯顿的船最近一直在南极半岛西部附近巡航。在南半球的夏季，这里非常适合对气泡网捕猎行为进行观察，这是座头鲸捕食磷虾的特有方式。这些温和的巨兽们协同作业，对这些微型甲壳纲动物四面包抄，形成一个不断向内缩紧的气泡螺旋。它们将猎物集中起来，然后张开大嘴向上猛扑。

戴夫·约翰斯顿：想象一下，如果你的嘴，能有从你下巴一直到肚脐那么大。这正是这些鲸鱼的进食方式。它们吞入大量的水，然后将水挤压出来，鲸须帮助它们将磷虾留在口中，有点像过滤器。

朱丽亚·格里芬：该团队的工作标志着无人机首次被用来捕捉气泡网捕猎活动，以供科学研究。这项技术不仅仅以超高频对捕猎活动本身进行了捕捉，而且还使得科学家们能够对座头鲸的体温及大小进行量化。

戴夫·约翰斯顿：直到商业捕鲸活动展开，我们才有能力对它们进行测量，估计它们的体重。因此，无人机非常不可思议，它为我们提供了一种无创进行数据收集的方法。

朱丽亚·格里芬：这些数据将根据它们对气候变化的反应，帮助科学家们了解座头鲸在南极气候系统中的作用。《PBS新闻一小时》，我是朱丽亚·格里芬。

朱迪·伍德拉夫：非同凡响。

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

3 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 gliding   

v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的

参考例句：

• Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。
• The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。

5 icebergs   

n.冰山，流冰( iceberg的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The drift of the icebergs in the sea endangers the ships. 海上冰山的漂流危及船只的安全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The icebergs towered above them. 冰山高耸于他们上方。 来自辞典例句

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 crustaceans   

n.甲壳纲动物（如蟹、龙虾）( crustacean的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These crustaceans provide a valuable food source for some fish. 这些甲壳纲动物是某些鱼类重要的食物来源。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• When the tide ebbs it's a rock pool inhabited by crustaceans. 退潮时，它便成为甲壳动物居住的岩石区潮水潭。 来自辞典例句

8 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

9 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

10 engulf   

vt.吞没，吞食

参考例句：

• Floodwaters engulf a housing project in the Bajo Yuna community in central Dominican Republic.洪水吞没了多米尼加中部巴杰优那社区的一处在建的住房工程项目。
• If we are not strong enough to cover all the minds up,then they will engulf us,and we are in danger.如果我们不够坚强来抵挡大众的意念，就会有被他们吞没的危险。

11 baleen   

n.鲸须

参考例句：

• Other baleen whales have splash guards too,but not like this.一些须鲸物种头顶也有护住喷水孔的构造，但并不长成这样。
• Baleen whales often appear in this region. Be careful!这一带经常有须鲸出没，要注意安全啊。

12 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。

13 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。