2022年11月07日 VOA慢速英語(yǔ)：火星上大型古代海洋的新證據(jù)

Researchers say they have discovered new evidence that Mars once had a large northern ocean. The finding adds to existing evidence that ancient Mars had the right conditions to possibly support some form of life.
研究人員說(shuō)，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)了火星曾經(jīng)有一個(gè)巨大的北海的新證據(jù)。這一發(fā)現(xiàn)增加了現(xiàn)有證據(jù)，表明古代火星具有可能支持某種生命形式的合適條件。
 
Today, Mars has a cold, desert climate. Any water is believed to be in the form of ice because of the planet's extremely cold temperatures. But there is a rich amount of evidence suggesting that rivers, lakes and even oceans once existed on Mars.
今天，火星擁有寒冷的沙漠氣候。由于地球極冷的溫度，任何水都被認(rèn)為是冰的形式。但有大量證據(jù)表明，火星上曾經(jīng)存在河流、湖泊甚至海洋。
 
For example, a 2015 study by the American space agency NASA suggested that 4.3 billion years ago, Mars likely had an ocean that covered nearly half of Mars' northern hemisphere.
例如，美國(guó)航天局 NASA 2015 年的一項(xiàng)研究表明，43 億年前，火星的海洋可能覆蓋了火星北半球的近一半。
 
Another NASA-supported study, published in January, estimated that three billion years ago, the climate in much of the planet's northern hemisphere was very similar to present day Earth. The study noted that at the time, Mars likely had a much thicker atmosphere than today and had an active, northern ocean.
另一項(xiàng)由美國(guó)宇航局支持的研究于 1 月發(fā)表，估計(jì) 30 億年前，地球北半球大部分地區(qū)的氣候與今天的地球非常相似。該研究指出，當(dāng)時(shí)火星的大氣層可能比今天厚得多，并且有一個(gè)活躍的北海。
 
Now, two American researchers have released a set of maps they say provides new environmental evidence of a large ancient ocean on Mars' low-lying northern hemisphere.
現(xiàn)在，兩名美國(guó)研究人員發(fā)布了一組地圖，他們說(shuō)他們提供了火星低洼北半球上巨大古老海洋的新環(huán)境證據(jù)。
 
The team collected data from satellite images of Mars. They then combined these images to create topography maps of the planet's northern hemisphere.
該團(tuán)隊(duì)從火星的衛(wèi)星圖像中收集數(shù)據(jù)。然后，他們將這些圖像結(jié)合起來(lái)，創(chuàng)建了地球北半球的地形圖。
 
Using these maps, the researchers said they were able to piece together evidence of shorelines that sat at the edge of a huge body of water about three-and-a-half billion years ago.
研究人員表示，使用這些地圖，他們能夠拼湊出大約 35 億年前位于巨大水體邊緣的海岸線的證據(jù)。
 
The scientists recently published their findings in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.
科學(xué)家們最近在《地球物理研究雜志：行星》上發(fā)表了他們的發(fā)現(xiàn)。
 
The team said it used software developed by the United States Geological Survey to map data collected by spacecraft operated by NASA. The research uncovered more than 6,500 kilometers of ridges that are believed to have been formed by flowing water.
該團(tuán)隊(duì)表示，它使用美國(guó)地質(zhì)調(diào)查局開(kāi)發(fā)的軟件來(lái)繪制由美國(guó)宇航局運(yùn)營(yíng)的航天器收集的數(shù)據(jù)。該研究發(fā)現(xiàn)了超過(guò) 6,500 公里的山脊，據(jù)信這些山脊是由流動(dòng)的水形成的。
 
The scientists say the ridges likely represent the leftover evidence of eroded river systems and an ancient ocean floor. The team said its research also suggested large levels of sediment, providing further evidence of a large ocean.
科學(xué)家們說(shuō)，這些山脊可能代表了被侵蝕的河流系統(tǒng)和古老的海底的遺留證據(jù)。研究小組表示，他們的研究還表明存在大量沉積物，這為大洋提供了進(jìn)一步的證據(jù)。
 
Benjamin Cardenas was a co-writer of the study. He is a professor of geosciences at Penn State University in Pennsylvania. He said in a statement the area of Mars studied – now known as Aeolis Dorsa – contains "the densest collection" of water-formed ridges on the planet.
本杰明·卡德納斯是該研究的合著者。他是賓夕法尼亞州立大學(xué)的地球科學(xué)教授。他在一份聲明中說(shuō)，所研究的火星區(qū)域——現(xiàn)在被稱為 Aeolis Dorsa——包含地球上“最密集的水形成山脊”。
 
Cardenas said the study's findings demonstrate the possible ocean in that area of Mars was very active and interesting. "It was dynamic. The sea level rose significantly," he said. "Rocks were being deposited along its basins at a fast rate. There was a lot of change happening here."
卡德納斯說(shuō)，這項(xiàng)研究的結(jié)果表明，火星該地區(qū)可能存在的海洋非?；钴S和有趣。“這是動(dòng)態(tài)的。海平面顯著上升，”他說(shuō)。“巖石正以極快的速度沿著盆地沉積。這里發(fā)生了很多變化。”
 
Cardenas added that areas on our own planet containing water-formed ridges and sediment provide researchers with much useful information about an area's climate and life forms. "If scientists want to find a record of life on Mars, an ocean as big as the one that once covered Aeolis Dorsa would be the most logical place to start," he said.
Cardenas 補(bǔ)充說(shuō)，我們星球上包含水形成的山脊和沉積物的區(qū)域?yàn)檠芯咳藛T提供了有關(guān)該地區(qū)氣候和生命形式的許多有用信息。“如果科學(xué)家想在火星上找到生命的記錄，那么像曾經(jīng)覆蓋 Aeolis Dorsa 的海洋那么大的海洋將是最合乎邏輯的起點(diǎn)，”他說(shuō)。
 
The team noted that the major goal of NASA's Mars explorer, Curiosity, is to look for signs of ancient life on the planet. Currently, Curiosity is operating within the planet's Gale Crater, which is in the southern hemisphere of Mars. In the past, researchers have also found evidence of past water systems around Gale Crater.
該團(tuán)隊(duì)指出，美國(guó)宇航局火星探測(cè)器好奇號(hào)的主要目標(biāo)是尋找火星上古代生命的跡象。目前，好奇號(hào)正在火星南半球的蓋爾隕石坑內(nèi)運(yùn)行。過(guò)去，研究人員還發(fā)現(xiàn)了蓋爾隕石坑周圍過(guò)去水系統(tǒng)的證據(jù)。
 
 
In addition to providing more evidence of a large ocean, Cardenas suggested the new study also provides useful information on Mars' ancient climate and developmental history. "Based on these findings, we know there had to have been a period when it was warm enough and the atmosphere was thick enough to support this much liquid water at one time," he said.
除了提供更多關(guān)于大海洋的證據(jù)外，卡德納斯建議這項(xiàng)新研究還提供了有關(guān)火星古代氣候和發(fā)展歷史的有用信息。“根據(jù)這些發(fā)現(xiàn)，我們知道一定有一段時(shí)間它足夠溫暖，大氣也足夠厚，可以同時(shí)支持這么多液態(tài)水，”他說(shuō)。