關(guān)島有幸避免了今年預(yù)計(jì)的嚴(yán)重珊瑚白化

關(guān)島有幸避免了今年預(yù)計(jì)的嚴(yán)重珊瑚白化

Vulnerable coral reefs on Guam have not experienced severe bleaching that was predicted for this year, in part because of stormy weather that reduced water temperatures, officials said.

官員們說，關(guān)島脆弱的珊瑚礁并沒有出現(xiàn)預(yù)計(jì)今年會(huì)出現(xiàn)的嚴(yán)重白化現(xiàn)象，部分原因是暴風(fēng)雨天氣導(dǎo)致海水溫度下降。

The Guam Bureau of Statistics and Plans said a mass coral bleaching event indicated by satellite measurements of sea surface temperatures did not occur, Pacific Daily News reported.

據(jù)《太平洋日?qǐng)?bào)》報(bào)道，關(guān)島統(tǒng)計(jì)和計(jì)劃局表示，衛(wèi)星測量海面溫度顯示，沒有發(fā)生大規(guī)模珊瑚白化事件。

“We have so far been very lucky,” said Whitney Hoot, a coral reef resilience coordinator with the statistics and plans bureau.

“到目前為止，我們非常幸運(yùn)。”統(tǒng)計(jì)和計(jì)劃局珊瑚礁復(fù)原協(xié)調(diào)員惠特尼·霍特(Whitney Hoot)說。

The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Watch program indicated in July that the island would likely experience significant bleaching, which often precedes coral death.

美國國家海洋和大氣管理局的珊瑚礁觀察計(jì)劃在7月份表示，該島可能會(huì)經(jīng)歷嚴(yán)重的白化，而這種白化往往發(fā)生在珊瑚死亡之前。

Recent stormy weather including Super Typhoon Hagibis may have contributed to the coral’s survival through cloud cover that cooled surface water temperatures. Storms and wind are also likely to have exchanged hot water in shallow areas with cooler water from deeper areas, officials said.

最近的暴風(fēng)雨天氣，包括超級(jí)臺(tái)風(fēng)海貝，可能是通過云層冷卻地表水溫度，促成珊瑚存活的原因。官員們說，風(fēng)暴和大風(fēng)還可能使淺水地區(qū)的熱水與較深地區(qū)的冷水發(fā)生交換。

Coral paling, which is the precursor to bleaching, has affected some corals, and the island is still under a bleaching warning, which is anticipated to remain for up to four weeks, Hoot said.

霍特表示，珊瑚變白是珊瑚白化的前兆，它已經(jīng)影響到一些珊瑚，該島仍處于白化警告中，預(yù)計(jì)將持續(xù)四周。