VOA慢速英语2012 SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Chile’s Coastal Recovery; Africa’s Groundwater

 

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Chile’s Coastal¹ Recovery; Africa’s Groundwater

BARBARA KLEIN: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I’m Barbara Klein.

BOB DOUGHTY²: And I’m Bob Doughty. Today, we tell about some unexpected effects of a natural disaster. We also tell about an American intelligence report on water-related problems. And we tell about maps that may offer hope for dry areas in Africa.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN: Scientists have reported that sandy beaches, their tiny organisms and plants were lost or harmed after recent natural disasters in Chile. But some of the coastal areas showed an unexpected recovery.

By chance, the scientists had been studying nine Chilean sandy beaches in January of twenty ten. A month later, an eight-point-eight earthquake struck. Tsunami³ waves followed the earthquake. The scientists returned to the beaches soon after both events. Since then, they have worked there many times.

BOB DOUGHTY: Scientists from two continents recently reported on the conditions that helped decide if a beach would be harmed or survive. The journal PLoS ONE published a report from the research team. Its members are from the Universidad Austral de Chile and the University of California, Santa Barbara in the United States.

The researchers found that a beach’s future was affected⁴, in part, by the kind of shoreline, or coast, it had. Another influence was the direction and the amount of land level change caused by the disasters. Still another was how much humans had changed the beaches.

The researchers say the changes made by natural disasters are important and seem lasting⁵. Their paper also documents problems caused by the rise of sea levels. That is a major sign of climate change. 

BARBARA KLEIN: Before the earthquake, some beaches had sea walls or rocky emplacements – hard material to defend against big waves. This process, called armoring, can reduce the size of the beach area and kill beach life. But, the researchers were surprised by what happened to armored sandy beaches that were raised by the tsunamis⁶. These beaches quickly developed new, welcoming environments for living organisms.

Jenifer Dugan of U.C. Santa Barbara’s Marine⁷ Science Institute says people often think of earthquakes as causing total destruction. And, adding a tsunami is deadly for an ecosystem⁸ – its creatures, areas where they reproduce, and other living resources.

BOB DOUGHTY: As expected, research biologist Dugan said the researchers saw dead creatures on beaches and rocky shorelines. But she described the recovery of some of the sandy beaches as “remarkable.” Still, she said, armoring itself covers up beaches, killing⁹ the habitat. She said this causes loss of ecosystem diversity – differing kinds of plant and animal life, including birds.

Eduardo Jaramillo was lead writer of the report. The zoology¹⁰ expert notes the importance of sandy beaches. He says they form about eighty percent of open coastlines worldwide. In his words, “sandy beaches are very good barriers against the sea level rise we are seeing around the world.” 

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN: An American intelligence report says water-related problems will likely increase tensions around the world in the next ten years. These problems include water shortages, poor water quality and floods.

The report says the problems will increase the risk of instability and the failure of governments. However, countries are seen as unlikely to go to war over water. The report says water tensions have historically led to more water-sharing agreements than violent conflicts.

But beyond ten years, it warns that some governments could use water as a weapon to pressure others. And water could also be used to "further terrorist objectives."

BOB DOUGHTY: The report is called an Intelligence Community Assessment¹¹ on Global Water Security. It looks at possible effects of water problems on United States national security interests over the next thirty years. It says the areas that will be most affected by water problems are North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released the report on March twenty-second -- World Water Day. The National Intelligence Council wrote the report based on a National Intelligence Estimate she requested a year ago.

HILLARY CLINTON: "Reliable access to water is essential for feeding the hungry, running the industries that promote jobs, generating the energy that fuels national growth, and certainly it is central when we think about how climate change will affect future generations."

BARBARA KLEIN: The report says water-related problems could distract countries from working with the United States on important policy goals. But it also predicts an increased demand for American aid and expert help to solve those problems.

The report says, "Water shortages, poor water quality, and floods by themselves are unlikely to result in state failure." But these could combine with poverty, social tensions, environmental problems, poor leadership and weak governments to produce social disorder¹². And that combination could cause state failure.

BOB DOUGHTY: The report predicts that from now through twenty forty, "water shortages and pollution probably will harm the economic performance of important trading partners." During the next ten years, it says, the loss of groundwater supplies in some agricultural areas will create a risk to national and global food markets.

Agriculture uses about seventy percent of the world's freshwater. The report says technology that reduces the amount of water needed to grow crops will offer the best defense¹³ against shortages.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN: Millions of people in Africa do not have enough safe drinking water. And crops in many places suffer from lack of irrigation. Only about five percent of African farms use water from pipes, streams or ditches. But now, maps made by researchers in Britain have brought welcome news. Large amounts of groundwater appear to be under the African continent.

Groundwater remains¹⁴ after rain and melting snow run into streams and other waterways. The water is stored in layers of rock or bedrock under the soil, known as aquifers¹⁵. Scientists say the aquifers hold an estimated one hundred times the water found on the continent’s surface.

BOB DOUGHTY: A team from the British Geological Survey and University College London created the new maps. The research team based its work on other maps provided by national governments. The researchers used more than two hundred eighty studies of aquifers. Their report appeared in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

The new maps show that the countries with the most groundwater are in North Africa. They include Libya, Algeria, Egypt and Sudan. And, the researchers say countries now judged to lack water could be on top of deep groundwater.

Helen Bonsor was a writer of the report. She says the maps showing groundwater offer hope for better living conditions.

HELEN BONSOR: “It is a huge resource sitting there. And this work demonstrates that if it is managed appropriately, and with proper governance and technology to access the resource, it could alleviate¹⁶ water poverty, which millions in Africa suffer from.” 

BARBARA KLEIN: Ms. Bonsor has another piece of good news. She says that even in areas with little rainfall, the groundwater should last for between twenty and seventy years. She adds that, until now, there was not much information about groundwater available.

Richard Taylor of University College London was part of the team. He says the additional resources may help to control the amount of moisture, or water levels, in the soil.

RICHARD TAYLOR: “What we are saying here really is that there are quite considerable groundwater resources in Africa that might help to regulate soil moisture and, therefore, food security.” 

BOB DOUGHTY: But the researchers are not urging widespread exploration with boreholes. They say a good understanding of local groundwater conditions is needed first. And, they say the process needs to be careful and methodical.

If groundwater in Africa can be put to use, experts say, it could make the future brighter for millions of people. The World Health Organization, for example, says demand for water is growing as population increases. People are moving to cities, and industry is growing.

BARBARA KLEIN: Medical experts say lack of water threatens serious health risks. Drinking and watering crops with polluted water can cause disease. And polluted water stored in homes can appeal to insects that carry diseases.

Helen Bonsor points to the example of people who lack good water sources. She says they must spend valuable time looking for it. And that time could be better used for going to school, growing more crops or working at paying jobs. 

(MUSIC)

BOB DOUGHTY: This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Jerilyn Watson, and produced by June Simms. I’m Bob Doughty.

BARBARA KLEIN: And I'm Barbara Klein. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

1 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

2 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

3 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

6 tsunamis   

n.海啸( tsunami的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our oceans are alive with earthquakes, volcanoes, and more recently, tsunamis. 海中充满着地震、火山，包括最近发生的海啸。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年2月号
• Please tell me something more about tsunamis! 请您给我讲讲海啸吧！ 来自辞典例句

7 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。

8 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。

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

10 zoology   

n.动物学，生态

参考例句：

• I would like to brush up my zoology.我想重新温习一下动物学。
• The library didn't stock zoology textbooks.这家图书馆没有动物学教科书。

11 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

12 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

13 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

14 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

15 aquifers   

n.地下蓄水层，砂石含水层( aquifer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• And in Africa, the aquifers barely recharge at all. 非洲的地下水开采以后几乎得不到补充。 来自时文部分
• Aquifers have water contents over 30%. 含水层的水含过30％。 来自辞典例句

16 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。