時(shí)差N小時(shí):冰川漸漸融化
嘿，Don, 你在干什么?Don: Booking a trip to GlacierNational Park. I want to go there before the glaciers disappear.
訂張去冰川國(guó)家國(guó)家公園的票。在冰川融化之前我想去那兒一趟。
Y: What do you mean?
你是什么意思啊?D: Scientists predict that within twenty years the park's remaining glaciers willmelt away.
科學(xué)家們預(yù)測(cè)20年之內(nèi)這個(gè)公園內(nèi)的冰川將漸漸融化。
Y: Why?
為什么啊?
D: Whether it's because of human industry or natural cycles, temperatures are rising. And whentemperatures rise, glaciers melt.
不管是因?yàn)槿祟?lèi)工業(yè)還是自然循環(huán)，氣溫都在逐漸上升。而當(dāng)氣溫上升時(shí)，冰川就會(huì)融化。
Y: Forgive me for sounding insensitive, but so what? Glaciers are nice to look at, but whatdifference will it make if they melt?
原諒我的后知后覺(jué)，但是那又如何?冰川看起來(lái)很漂亮，但是如果它們?nèi)诨謺?huì)有什么不同呢?
D: Glaciers are more than just pretty pictures. They're the main sources for many rivers thatpeople depend on for drinking water, irrigation, and hydroelectric power.
冰川不只是壯美這么簡(jiǎn)單。它們是許多河流的源頭。人們的飲用水、灌溉和水力電氣的能源都需要依賴(lài)這些河流。
Y: So are rivers drying up?
那么，河流會(huì)變得干涸嗎?D: Not yet, but the amount of glacier water affects a river's flow volume.
還不確定，但冰川水的量會(huì)影響河水的流量。
The lower the flow volume the less water there is for drinking, power, and everything elsepeople depend on rivers for.
流量越少，供人們飲用，發(fā)電以及做其他一切事的水就會(huì)越少。
Also, greater water volume helps dilute a river's chemical content.
另外，豐富的水量可以幫助稀釋河流內(nèi)的化學(xué)物質(zhì)。
The less water a river has, the higher the chemical concentration, which can pollute a lake fedby the river.
一條河的水量越少，其內(nèi)的化學(xué)物質(zhì)濃度就會(huì)越高。這會(huì)污染這條河注入的湖泊。Y: I didn't know that. Buthow about this...Higher temperatures mean that more water will evaporate from the oceans,which means more precipitation, including snow.
我倒不清楚那個(gè)。但這個(gè)呢?溫度越高就意味著海洋的水將會(huì)有更多被蒸發(fā)，也就是說(shuō)降水量也會(huì)增多，包括雪。
So maybe some glaciers will actually grow even though it's getting warmer.
所以說(shuō)盡管氣候是在變暖，但冰川的數(shù)量還可能會(huì)增加。D: Some scientists make that argument, but mostdon't buy it.
有些科學(xué)家做出了那樣的論斷，但大部分人并不認(rèn)同。
Sure, some glaciers are growing temporarily thanks to unusual amounts of snow, but they'rethe exception to the rule.
確實(shí)，一些冰川的暫時(shí)性生長(zhǎng)是因?yàn)椴粚こ５慕笛?shù)量，但這只是冰川生成過(guò)程中的例外情況。
Generally, glaciers grow when the amount of snow that melts in the summer is less than theamount that falls in the winter.
一般來(lái)說(shuō)，夏天雪融化的數(shù)量少于冬天降雪的數(shù)量時(shí)才會(huì)生成冰川。
Right now, more snow is melting than falling.
現(xiàn)在，融化的雪量比降雪量多。
Y: I guess you should book that trip.
我想你該訂下這趟旅程。
