VOA标准英语2009年-Scientists Struggle to Protect Chesapeake

By Zulima Palacio
Washington
23 October 2009

 
Davis points to a grass shrimp¹ barely visible in her palm
 
Every year erosion and sea level rise are claiming about two meters of shoreline along the Chesapeake Bay on the East Coast of the United States. There have been many efforts to control the loss of land over the years, with mixed results. Now, a new approach for restoration called "living shores" has scientists hopeful.

This beach looks healthy and inviting². But until a month ago, none of this was here. All of it was man-made, with an open invitation to every living creature in the area, including this grass shrimp.

"They love restored marsh³ areas and they are a favorite food of strait bass⁴ and all sorts of other fish and is one species that we found significantly increases in abundance after we restore a habitat with a living shore line," Jana Davis said.

 
Jana Davis
Davis is the director and chief scientist of the Chesapeake Bay Trust, a private nonprofit organization that funds restoration and education projects. She represents one of more than a dozen organizations involved in this project. "This project is a good example of the use of both natural habitat features as well as traditional armors, as you see, to protect shorelines from erosion," she said.

The team built rock lines and beaches to break the force of wind and waves, protecting shallow water and planting grasses to create a welcoming habitat.

This shoreline is part of a wildlife refuge on the upper Chesapeake Bay about 300 kilometers from the ocean. Susanne Beard is the manager for the Chesapeake Marshland National Wildlife Refuge Complex. "This is a very important piece of Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge because the small narrow isthmus⁵ that protects Hail Creek⁶ provides a habitat for a variety of waterfowl, fish, shellfish, all sorts of animals that live in that area," Beard said.

 
Chesapeake Bay shoreline 
Hundreds of birds migrate here each year from the north to escape the hard winter months. They find rich waters with plenty of food and the right coastal⁷ habitat to survive.  "It is one of the most important winter spots up and down the Chesapeake Bay," Beard adds.

But severe erosion was threatening the area. Dave Sutherland is the coastal program leader at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the Chesapeake. "The shoreline erosion is just anywhere from five (1.52 meters) to seven feet (2.13 meters) a year," he said.

Sutherland explains that while erosion has always been a natural process, climate change and human alteration⁸ of habitats have worsened the problem and the Chesapeake Bay now requires urgent restoration programs.
 
"With global warming, it may not be that natural," Sutherland says, "Though sea levels rise has been fairly consistent over the years, there is an accelerated rate of sea levels rise now and we are just trying to address the most critical, most high priority projects right now."

 
Kids plant grasses along the Chesapeake Bay shoreline 
The restoration and protection program included educational activities. Grasses were planted by elementary students.

"It was a windy day, it was a rough day and the kids were great," Sutherland says, "They were taugh, they planted grass and they had a superb time."

Sutherland says these shallow waters provide the highest productivity for many species of fish and crab⁹. The project also included an oyster¹⁰ restoration program. "These are oysters¹¹ grown up on Eastern Neck island by Washington college and we are putting them up as our pilot study here. They should be reproducing come next season," he said.

Until not too long ago, shore protection included old techniques such as revetments, or the lying of stones right across the bank; and bulkheads, a retaining wall built to contain flooding. But while both protect the shoreline, neither leaves room for marshes¹² or provides any habitat value.

"The theory right now is that living shorelines can respond better to sea level rise than can traditional shoreline armor," Davis states. She says it is too soon to know if the "living shoreline" experiment will work in the long term, but the restored areas are already showing some positive results.

 

1 shrimp   

n.虾，小虾；矮小的人

参考例句：

• When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream.一旦养虾场建起来，将会截断这条河流。
• When it comes to seafood,I like shrimp the best.说到海鲜，我最喜欢虾。

2 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

3 marsh   

n.沼泽，湿地

参考例句：

• There are a lot of frogs in the marsh.沼泽里有许多青蛙。
• I made my way slowly out of the marsh.我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地。

4 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

5 isthmus   

n.地峡

参考例句：

• North America is connected with South America by the Isthmus of Panama.巴拿马海峡把北美同南美连接起来。
• The north and south of the island are linked by a narrow isthmus.岛的北部和南部由一条狭窄的地峡相连。

6 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

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 alteration   

n.变更，改变；蚀变

参考例句：

• The shirt needs alteration.这件衬衣需要改一改。
• He easily perceived there was an alteration in my countenance.他立刻看出我的脸色和往常有些不同。

9 crab   

n.螃蟹，偏航，脾气乖戾的人，酸苹果；vi.捕蟹，偏航，发牢骚；vt.使偏航，发脾气

参考例句：

• I can't remember when I last had crab.我不记得上次吃蟹是什么时候了。
• The skin on my face felt as hard as a crab's back.我脸上的皮仿佛僵硬了，就象螃蟹的壳似的。

10 oyster   

n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人

参考例句：

• I enjoy eating oyster; it's really delicious.我喜欢吃牡蛎，它味道真美。
• I find I fairly like eating when he finally persuades me to taste the oyster.当他最后说服我尝尝牡蛎时，我发现我相当喜欢吃。

11 oysters   

牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We don't have oysters tonight, but the crayfish are very good. 我们今晚没有牡蛎供应。但小龙虾是非常好。
• She carried a piping hot grill of oysters and bacon. 她端出一盘滚烫的烤牡蛎和咸肉。

12 marshes   

n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cows were grazing on the marshes. 牛群在湿地上吃草。
• We had to cross the marshes. 我们不得不穿过那片沼泽地。 来自《简明英汉词典》