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VOA慢速英语2019--在南极洲寻找气候变化的线索

时间:2019-02-25 23:51来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
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Searching for Clues on Climate Change in Antarctica

Scientists on an island just north of Antarctica are studying the ice for clues about everything from climate change to cures for cancer.

Chile operates a research base on King George Island in the Southern Ocean. The island lies about 120 kilometers from the coast of Antarctica.

The Escudero base acts as a research center for an area that extends to the South Pole. More than 300 international scientists are based there. They take turns working on experiments and collecting information in the bitter cold.

The Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) has supported research into a biomolecule called “Antartina,” which comes from a plant native to the area. In early tests, the biomolecule has been shown to shrink several kinds of cancer in mice.

Scientists working at Escudero also look at plants that could treat Alzheimer’s disease, enzymes1 to remove sugar from milk and others to improve lettuce2 crops.

This month, a group of scientists left on a research trip to investigate what causes the break-up of ice shelves. Other studies have linked the break-up with climate change.

In 2017, an iceberg3 the size of Trinidad and Tobago broke off a shelf in Antarctica. It led to widespread concern, fears of possible shipping4 accidents and a rise in sea levels.

“There are different theories related to changes in sea temperatures eating the platforms,” said Shelley MacDonell, a glaciologist from New Zealand.

MacDonell spoke5 to the Reuters news agency as she prepared to travel to one of the icebergs6 affected7. She and her team want to be able to predict when and where in the future ice shelves might break off.

The scientists hope their research will help the mapping of the shape of the world’s southernmost continent in the years to come. They also want to help island and coastal8 nations plan for rising sea levels.

Wall of ice

Ice shelves act as walls that hold back Antarctic ice, stopping it from spilling more quickly into the ocean. Icebergs have historically broken off for centuries, but the number of break-ups has risen in recent years.

The loss of ice from Antarctica rose to 252,000 million tons a year between 2009 and 2017. That compares to the average of 40,000 million tons a year between 1979 and 1990. Those numbers come from a study released in January.

Large platforms “have collapsed10 in the past. What is not known is if the collapses11 were gradual,” MacDonell said. She added that the collapses that are happening now appear to move very quickly.

The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the continent. It is also one of the areas most affected by melting ice. Scientists believe that is because it had more contact with the ocean.

“We have a long-term trend that is pointing to this process of warming and collapse9 of these platforms,” said Chilean glaciologist Francisco Fernandoy. He is a member of MacDonell’s team.

The Netherlands and several island territories are waiting for the results of the study. If the ice caps of Greenland and Antarctic were to melt completely, there would be a 10-meter rise in sea levels. The water would cover those places, according to INACH research.

Reading the ice

MacDonell and her team are traveling to a camp on the Müller ice shelf. At the end of last year, the ice shelf lost a 1.6-kilometer long iceberg.

The scientists will spend two weeks in very cold conditions to gather scientific samples. The team will use radar12 waves to take measurements of the icebergs and remove ice from the inside. This ice will enable the researchers to effectively look back in time.

The ice will be moved to laboratories in central Chile for examination. They will be kept in rooms with a temperature of 20 degrees below zero Celsius13.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

shelf - n. a flat area of rock, sand, or ice

iceberg - n. a very large piece of ice floating in the ocean

platform - n. a flat surface that is raised higher than the floor or ground

gradual - adj. moving or changing in small amounts

trend - n. a way of behaving, proceeding14, etc., that is developing and becoming more common

according - v. as stated, reported, or recorded by

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


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 enzymes 7881ad8ce9c83424f7874e70266ed2d8     
n. 酶,酵素
参考例句:
  • It was said that washing powders containing enzymes remove stains more efficiently. 据说加酶洗衣粉除污更有效。
  • Among the enzymes which are particularly effective are pepsin, papain. 在酶当中特别有效的是胃朊酶、木瓜酶。
2 lettuce C9GzQ     
n.莴苣;生菜
参考例句:
  • Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿,我好做色拉。
  • The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。
3 iceberg CbKx0     
n.冰山,流冰,冷冰冰的人
参考例句:
  • The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
  • The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
4 shipping WESyg     
n.船运(发货,运输,乘船)
参考例句:
  • We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
  • There's a shipping charge of £5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。
5 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
6 icebergs 71cdbb120fe8de8e449c16eaeca8d8a8     
n.冰山,流冰( iceberg的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The drift of the icebergs in the sea endangers the ships. 海上冰山的漂流危及船只的安全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The icebergs towered above them. 冰山高耸于他们上方。 来自辞典例句
7 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的,假装的
参考例句:
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
8 coastal WWiyh     
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。
9 collapse aWvyE     
vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷
参考例句:
  • The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
  • The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。
10 collapsed cwWzSG     
adj.倒塌的
参考例句:
  • Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
  • The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。
11 collapses 9efa410d233b4045491e3d6f683e12ed     
折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 ); 倒塌; 崩溃; (尤指工作劳累后)坐下
参考例句:
  • This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
  • Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台,抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。
12 radar kTUxx     
n.雷达,无线电探测器
参考例句:
  • They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
  • Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。
13 Celsius AXRzl     
adj.摄氏温度计的,摄氏的
参考例句:
  • The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
  • The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。
14 proceeding Vktzvu     
n.行动,进行,(pl.)会议录,学报
参考例句:
  • This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
  • The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。
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