VOA科学技术2023--Researchers Map the Deep Ocean Off Alaska’s Coast

Researchers Map the Deep Ocean Off Alaska’s Coast

The U.S. weather agency is exploring the ocean around the Aleutian Islands aiming to map the sea floor and make discoveries about undersea life.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric¹ Administration (NOAA) research ship, called Okeanos Explorer, is on a five-month mission. It is a former U.S. Navy ship, which has been changed to meet current needs. Civilians² and members of the NOAA Corps³ are carrying out the mission.

The ship has a 48-member crew. It has technology and tools to gather information about the deep ocean and to immediately share it with researchers. The hope is that the data will be used for future research.

Mission leader Shannon Hoy said that the sea floor near Alaska is full of life. She added, "You would never know that unless we were able to go down there and explore."

Researchers are using several kinds of sonar technology, used to map objects underwater, and two remotely operated vehicles, Deep Discoverer and Seirios. They are designed to map and collect samples. The researchers are exploring the Aleutian Trench⁴ and Gulf⁵ of Alaska, areas of water near the U.S. state of Alaska.

The researchers are also using cameras that can operate at depths of up to 6,000 meters. The cameras permit the researchers to document and immediately share their findings. The ship can also share live video of the dives with the public.

Hoy said that, in two to four weeks, the Okeanos Explorer can map as much as 50,000 square kilometers of ocean floor.

Hoy said the team plans to investigate some of the area's cold "seep⁶ communities." These are places where gas from under the sea floor rises through openings. Life in these places is not believed to depend on the sun for food production.

Hoy said the researchers are also going to study the water column to see what interesting animals they can find there.

Kasey Cantwell is the ship's operations chief. She said the data will help researchers and the public better understand these areas of the ocean. The information could also help make decisions about fisheries and could also identify dangers at sea and improve maps.

"It's really hard to care for things you don't understand, to love things you don't understand," Cantwell said.

The deep ocean off Alaska's Aleutian Islands is one of the least mapped places in the U.S. Modern mapping has covered just 34 percent of the sea floor off Alaska. The area includes one of America's largest coastal⁷ ecosystems⁹, and only a small part of that has been seen, the mission's web site says.

Emily Crum is a communications specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She said filling holes in current information is a mission goal. The effort will also help meet a goal of mapping all of the United States' deep waters by 2030 and near-shore waters by 2040.

Words in This Story

mission – n. a specific military or naval¹⁰ task

sample – n. a small amount of something that gives you information about the thing it was taken from

column – n. something that is tall and thin in shape

ecosystem⁸ – n. everything that exists in a particular environment

shore – n. the land along the edge of an area of water

1 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

2 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

3 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• 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。

4 trench   

n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕

参考例句：

• The soldiers recaptured their trench.兵士夺回了战壕。
• The troops received orders to trench the outpost.部队接到命令在前哨周围筑壕加强防卫。

5 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

6 seep   

v.渗出，渗漏；n.渗漏，小泉，水（油）坑

参考例句：

• My anger began to seep away.我的怒火开始消下去了。
• If meteoric water does not evaporate or run overland,it may seep directly into the ground.如果雨水不从陆地蒸发和流走的话，就可能直接渗入地下。

7 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。

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 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

10 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。