海洋雪有助预测气候变化

海洋雪有助预测气候变化

As if materializing from a different dimension, the submersible device called PELAGRA slips below the surface and sinks into a research pool at the National Oceanography Centre, in Southampton, England.

位于英格兰南开普敦的国家海洋学中心，一种名叫“PELAGRA”的水下仪器潜入了我们的水下研究池，我们这次是以不同规格建造了该仪器。

Soon, two such devices will be deployed¹ to the South Atlantic to collect samples of so-called ‘marine² snow.’

不久之后，这两种仪器将被派往南大西洋，收集一种称为“海洋雪”的物质。

Marine snow is composed of dead phytoplankton which sort of clump³ together to form flakes⁴ and then they're heavy enough to sink down into the deep ocean. It can also be formed by little animals which eat the little plants and then they poop out that carbon, and then their fecal pellets are very heavy and they sink down to the bottom of the ocean, also carrying lots of carbon with them.

海洋雪是由已死的浮游植物所组成，并形成类似碎片的聚集体，由于体积过大，它们能够到达深海。浮游生物也可以形成海洋雪，它们以浮游植物为食，并排放出碳，由于他们的粪便颗粒过于庞大，海洋雪也会沉于海底，并携带碳物质。

Although invisible to the naked eye, phytoplankton are so abundant that they are responsible for half of all the carbon absorbing photosynthetic⁵ activity on earth.

尽管我们肉眼看不见，但是浮游植物的数量太过庞大，它们承担了地球上一半的光合作用。

Understanding that process could help scientists create more advanced computer models of global environmental changes.

通过了解这一过程，科学家就能够制造出更为先进计算机模型，并因此来检测气候变化。

The challenge was to build a submersible device that could float between 50 and 500 meters deep. That's where scientists say all this carbon is being absorbed, and beginning its journey to the bottom of the sea.

该项挑战就是要制作出能够潜入水下50-500米深的水下仪器。科学家认为碳物质全部都会在这个位置得到吸收，之后再进行海底工作。

The way that we do that is by putting them in tanks of water like this and adding weights until they're just sinking; at which point we know they have the same density⁶ as the water that they're sitting in.

我们把它们放进水箱里，就像这样，增加重量让它潜入水底；并让它们与水保持相同的密度。

PELAGRA will suck ocean water with marine snow into containers and periodically bring them to the surface for detailed⁷ study.

“PELAGRA ”将会收集海洋雪，并定期对它进行细致研究。

 

Scientists hope that PELAGRA devices will help them answer another interesting question why is marine snow more abundant in some parts of the ocean than in others.

科学家希望“PELAGRA ”仪器能够帮助解答另一个有趣问题，那就是为什么海洋雪在海洋中的分配如此不均问题。

1 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

2 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。

3 clump   

n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走

参考例句：

• A stream meandered gently through a clump of trees.一条小溪从树丛中蜿蜒穿过。
• It was as if he had hacked with his thick boots at a clump of bluebells.仿佛他用自己的厚靴子无情地践踏了一丛野风信子。

4 flakes   

小薄片( flake的名词复数 )； （尤指）碎片； 雪花； 古怪的人

参考例句：

• It's snowing in great flakes. 天下着鹅毛大雪。
• It is snowing in great flakes. 正值大雪纷飞。

5 photosynthetic   

adj.光合的，促进光合作用的

参考例句：

• In some plants photosynthetic products are stored in the form polyfructosans. 在有些植物中，光合作用产物是以多聚果糖的形式储藏。
• Chlorotic or necrotic lesions were evidence of decreased photosynthetic tissues. 缺绿的或坏死的侵蚀斑便是减少了光合组织的证据。

6 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

7 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。