VOA常速英语2014--现代科技帮助预测变幻莫测天气（在线收听）

Modern Technology Helping Weather Predictions 现代科技帮助预测变幻莫测天气

WASHINGTON— 

Severe storms that cause heavy damage throughout the world are a reminder of how important it is to be able to predict the weather.  A meteorological exhibition in Brussels earlier this month featured the latest technology to help improve our ability to forecast the weather and better prepare for its effects. 

On October 17, Hurricane Gonzalo hit the island of Bermuda, knocking down trees and power lines, and making roads and streets impassable. The damage was substantial. But thanks to early warnings from forecasters, residents were able to prepare and no deaths or serious injuries were reported.

10月17日飓风冈萨洛袭击百慕大岛,推倒树木和电线,造成公路和街道瘫痪。飓风造成相当大的损害。但由于预警预报提前发布,居民们能够及时做好准备并且没有死亡或严重伤亡报告。

Scientists say weather systems are notoriously hard to predict because so many variables have to be taken into account. But increasingly sophisticated algorithms and accessibility to supercomputers are making weather prediction much easier.

科学家们表示天气系统之所以出了名的难以预测是因为必须考虑许多变量。但超级计算机愈渐复杂精细的算法及可访问性正使得天气预测变得更加容易。

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says its new storm prediction system, called NEIS, collects millions of data points from all over the world to create a four-dimensional model of the world's weather.

美国国家海洋和大气管理局(NOAA)表示其名为NEIS的最新风暴预测系统收集来自世界各地的数百万数据点后创建一个四维模型的世界天气。

天气预测.jpg

Agency director Alexander MacDonald said the satellite picture of huge storms that bited China in October 2010 seen on the left screen is very similar to the one created by its computer model on the right.

该机构主管亚历山大·麦克唐纳表示屏幕左侧2010年10月登陆中国的巨大风暴卫星照片和右侧由计算机模型所创造的非常相似。

“So this really shows the skill that we are developing, when we run a computer model and Mother Nature does the same thing with the real world and they are pretty alike. We are excited a lot about these improvements.”

“这的确展现了我们正在开发的技术,当我们运行计算机模型，大自然母亲也在现实世界做同样的事情，而结果二者非常相似。我们对于这些改进非常兴奋。”

Air pollution is another modern calamity that affects large cities and industrial areas. So its adverse effect on health also makes its timely measurement important.

空气污染是另一个影响到大城市和工业领域的现代灾难。因此它对健康造成的不利影响也使得及时测量变得极为重要。

Alan Taylor, Director of the Britain-based company Turnkey Instruments, said their device, called Topas, uses lasers to monitor the air for particulates.

英国特内基设备公司负责人艾伦·泰勒表示他们所开发的名为Topas的设备使用激光监测空气微粒。

But, he said, providing accurate measurement does not solve the problem.

但他表示提供精确的测量并不能解决问题。

“It's what cities do about it when they know about it. Do they stop traffic going through, do they stop trucks going through? So we can get that information, but what the city does with that information is a different situation.”

“当人们意识到污染的时候城市需要做些什么。他们出台交通禁令举措,他们禁止卡车通行了吗?所以我们有这些信息是一回事,城市对此做些什么又是另一回事。”

Even in cities that do not have pollution problems, it is important to measure other atmospheric conditions, like the level of pollen, which can make life miserable for those who are allergic to it.

即使在没有污染问题的城市,大气条件下的其它物质检测也至关重要,比如花粉水平,这种物质会使对它过敏的人痛苦不堪。

University of Geneva research team leader Svetlana Afonina said their new instrument, called Plair, uses an optical detector with ultraviolet laser technology.

瑞士日内瓦大学研究小组领导人斯维特拉娜·埃佛里娜称他们名为Plair的新仪器使用带有光学探测器的紫外激光技术。

“The device is highly specific and allows identification of different kind of particles in the atmosphere.We are able to detect and measure different species of pollen in the real time.”

“这种设备非常特别并且能够识别在大气中不同类型的粒子。我们能够实时检测及测量不同种类的花粉。”

The Brussels exhibition, now in its fifth year, drew more than 2,500 people from around the world to see the latest weather and climate change forecasting technology.

现在第5届的布鲁塞尔展览吸引了来自世界各地超过2500人一睹最新天气和气候变化预测技术的风采。