2006年VOA标准英语-Alaska Feeling Impact of Global Warming

By Brian Padden
Anchorage, Alaska
09 August 2006
 
watch Alaska Global Warming

Global warming is considered a cause of glaciers² melting   
  
While there is still an ongoing³ debate about the extent and impact of global warming worldwide, many scientists believe global warming is having profound effects in the arctic and sub-arctic regions.  Glaciers are said to be melting at an unprecedented⁴ rate.  Species of flora⁵ and fauna⁶ -- which thrive in the cold -- are now being threatened. 

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Biologist Jeff Welker 
  
Biologist Jeff Welker with the University of Alaska in Anchorage says the melting of Porter Glacier¹ in the last 20 years illustrates⁷ how global warming is dramatically changing the sub-arctic climate here in the U.S. state of Alaska.   

"There are a few bits of the Portage glacier that are here in front of us. This is the kind of proximity⁸ that the glacier front was to the visitor center that was built here 15 to 20 years ago.  Today now all we have are these small little remnants that we see directly here in front of the glacier.  While the glacier itself is over a mile, a mile and a half away now."   

Stream ecologist Sue Mauger   
  
Stream ecologist Sue Mauger has been documenting a less dramatic, but unprecedented rise in water temperature in Alaska's rivers and streams.   "We are finding that the water temperatures are increasing and that the numbers of days they're exceeding, the water temperature is increasing, the numbers of hours per day they're increasing, and the maximum temperatures are increasing."

Ecologist Ed Berg with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska digs below the earth's surface to put this period of global warming into historical context.

Ecologist Ed Berg  
  
"When I dated one of the spots where I augured⁹ I got a radiocarbon date of 13,000 years. In the last few decades, this bog¹⁰ has dried out and the shrubs¹¹ and trees are moving in big time.  That a very typical example of the drying landscape in this area and, as I say, it is a profound change from 13,000 years of being a pretty wet place." 

These scientists are not just documenting that the Earth is warmer than is has ever been in recorded history.  They are also warning that the impact of global warming -- being felt first and foremost in the fragile arctic and sub-artic eco-systems -- could dramatically change life on Earth. 

Ed Berg says, while beetles¹² are responsible ravaging¹³ much of the spruce forests in Alaska and Canada, the real culprit is global warming. "In 1987 we went into overdrive essentially¹⁴ and had an 11-year run of warm summers and that we think is unprecedented in the last 250 years.  It allowed the beetles to grow and grow and essentially eat themselves out of house and home."

Ecologist Sue Mauger says that if temperatures continue to rise, Alaskan salmon¹⁵ will be threatened by parasites¹⁶ that thrive in warmer climates. "The predictions are that our air temperatures here in sub-arctic Alaska will increase as much as three to five degrees centigrade.  And if the water temperatures increase that same amount, we are going to be seeing a much less healthy fish population."

  
  
As Alaska changes into a warmer environment, some species will adapt and some, like the polar bear, could face extinction¹⁷.  But that's not all.  Professor Welker says increased temperatures also mean increased energy in the atmosphere, which is causing more extreme weather events worldwide.  "Climate change increases the rate of unusual events.   We have very hard evidence now that the warming of the oceans across the globe is resulting in increased energy in the ocean to create a hurricane." 

He says while Alaska is not responsible for creating hurricanes, it is indicative of the consequences of warmer terrestrial habitats and warmer ocean systems.

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Note: It should also be noted¹⁸ that not all scientists agree that global warming is connected to extreme weather or that rising temperatures will have catastrophic effects.  They dispute the rate of rising temperatures and sea levels and say the scientific community should refrain from making premature¹⁹ and alarmist predictions. See our other reports in this series.

1 glacier   

n.冰川，冰河

参考例句：

• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses.冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。

2 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

3 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

5 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

6 fauna   

n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系

参考例句：

• This National Park is an area with unique fauna and flora.该国家公园区域内具有独特的动物种群和植物种群。
• Fauna is a biological notion means all the animal life in a particular region or period. 动物群是一个生物学的概念，指的是一个特定时期或者地区的所有动物。

7 illustrates   

给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明

参考例句：

• This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
• Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生，他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分

8 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

9 augured   

v.预示，预兆，预言( augur的过去式和过去分词 )；成为预兆；占卜

参考例句：

• The press saw the event as a straw in the wind that augured the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries. 报界把这件事看作是两国之间即将恢复邦交的预兆。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• This augured disaster for 1945. 这就预示1945年要发生灾难。 来自互联网

10 bog   

n.沼泽；室...陷入泥淖

参考例句：

• We were able to pass him a rope before the bog sucked him under.我们终于得以在沼泽把他吞没前把绳子扔给他。
• The path goes across an area of bog.这条小路穿过一片沼泽。

11 shrubs   

灌木( shrub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
• These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。

12 beetles   

n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Beetles bury pellets of dung and lay their eggs within them. 甲壳虫把粪粒埋起来，然后在里面产卵。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This kind of beetles have hard shell. 这类甲虫有坚硬的外壳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 ravaging   

毁坏( ravage的现在分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• It is believed that in fatigue there is a repeated process of ravaging the material. 据认为，在疲劳中，有一个使材料毁坏的重复过程。
• I was able to capture the lion that was ravaging through town. 我能逮住正在城里肆虐的那头狮子。

14 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

15 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？

16 parasites   

寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫

参考例句：

• These symptoms may be referable to virus infection rather than parasites. 这些症状也许是由病毒感染引起的，而与寄生虫无关。
• Kangaroos harbor a vast range of parasites. 袋鼠身上有各种各样的寄生虫。

17 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

18 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

19 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。