VOA科学技术2022 一种红色的藻类加快雪的融化

（单词翻译）

Scientists are trying to learn more about microorganisms that turn snow red and might cause snow to melt faster.

科学家正试图更多地了解使雪变红并可能会导致雪融化得更快的微生物。

Recently, researcher Eric Marechal collected what he called “snow blood” from a mountain area 2,500 meters above sea level.

最近，研究人员埃里克·马雷查尔从海拔2500米的山区采集了他所说的“雪血”。

Snow blood is a kind of algae¹ that is red.

雪血是一种红色的藻类。

Its dark color causes snow to melt more easily.

它的深颜色使雪更容易融化。

Scientist are concerned that the algae are spreading.

科学家担心这些藻类正在扩散。

"These algae are green. But when it's in the snow, it accumulates a little pigment² like sunscreen to protect itself," said Marechal.

马雷查尔说：“这些藻类是绿色的。但当它在雪地里时，它会积累一点像防晒霜一样的色素来保护自己”。

He is the research director at Grenoble's Scientific Research National Center.

他是格勒诺布尔国家科学研究中心的研究主任。

He and his coworkers collected algae to study in the laboratory on Le Brevent Mountain near the town of Chamonix in France.

他和他的同事在法国夏莫尼镇附近的勒布勒文特山的实验室里对采集来的藻类进行研究。

The red-colored organism was formally identified and given its scientific name Sanguina nivaloides in 2019.

2019年，这种红色的微生物被正式确认，并被命名为Sanguina nivaloides。

Scientists are now trying to understand snow blood.

科学家现在正试图了解雪血。

Snow volume is decreasing because of rising global temperatures.

由于全球气温上升，降雪量正在减少。

This change in climate is especially affecting the Alps Mountains.

这种气候变化对阿尔卑斯山的影响尤为严重。

There is a "double reason" for studying the algae, Marechal explained.

马雷查尔解释说，研究这种藻类有“双重原因”。

"The first is that it's an area that is little-explored and the second is that this little explored area is melting before our eyes so it's urgent," he said.

他说：“首先，这是一个很少被探索的地区，其次，这个很少被探索的地区正在我们眼前融化，因此这是一个紧迫的问题。”

Alberto Amato is a researcher at CEA Center in Grenoble.

阿尔贝托·阿马托是格勒诺布尔CEA中心的一名研究员。

He said the volume of algae appear to be growing because of climate change.

他说，由于气候变化，藻类的数量似乎在增长。

He said algae grow faster with higher amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

他说，大气中二氧化碳含量越高，藻类生长越快。

The research is ongoing³.

这项研究正在进行中。

But the scientists say it is clear that the presence of algae speeds the melting of snow.

但科学家表示，很明显，藻类的存在加速了雪的融化。

This is because algae's color reduces snow’s ability to reflect the sun's heat.

这是因为藻类的颜色降低了雪反射太阳热量的能力。

Other kinds of algae, including a purple kind, as well as soot⁴ from forest fires have the same effect.

包括一种紫色藻类在内的其他种类的藻类以及森林火灾产生的烟尘也有同样的效果。

If the algae do spread, snow and glacier⁵ melt around the world could speed up.

如果藻类真的在扩散，世界各地的雪和冰川融化的速度可能会加快。

"The warmer it is, the more algae there are and the more the snow melts quickly," said Amato.

阿马托说：“天气越暖和，藻类就越多，雪融化的速度就越快。”

"It's a vicious circle and we are trying to understand all the mechanisms⁶ to understand this circle so we can try to do something about it," he added.

他还说：“这是一个恶性循环，为了了解这个循环，我们正试图了解所有机制，这样我们就可以尝试采取一些措施。”