2022年12月26日 VOA慢速英語：科學(xué)家凍結(jié)大堡礁珊瑚

Scientists working on Australia's Great Barrier Reef have successfully tested a new method for freezing and storing coral larvae. Larvae are the very young form of the small ocean animal.
在澳大利亞大堡礁工作的科學(xué)家們成功地測試了一種冷凍和儲存珊瑚幼蟲的新方法。幼蟲是小型海洋動物的幼體。
 
Coral creates reefs, structures in the ocean that support entire ecosystems. However, climate change is threatening the existence of such reefs.
珊瑚在海洋中形成珊瑚礁和結(jié)構(gòu)，支持整個生態(tài)系統(tǒng)。然而，氣候變化正在威脅著這些珊瑚礁的存在。
 
The science project in Australia involves freezing and storing coral larvae to use later for rewilding. A new material called "cryomesh" is helping the scientists in the effort.
澳大利亞的科學(xué)項目涉及冷凍和儲存珊瑚幼蟲，以備日后用于野化。一種名為“cryomesh”的新材料正在幫助科學(xué)家們進行這項工作。
 
Coral is frozen using a special method called cryogenics. This permits the young animals to be stored until they can be unfrozen and placed in the wild.
使用稱為低溫學(xué)的特殊方法冷凍珊瑚。這使得幼小的動物可以被儲存起來，直到它們被解凍并放回野外。
 
The process currently requires high-tech equipment including lasers and is costly. But, the team in Australia says cryomesh can do a better job of saving the coral and for much less money.
該過程目前需要包括??激光在內(nèi)的高科技設(shè)備，而且成本高昂。但是，澳大利亞的團隊表示，cryomesh 可以更好地拯救珊瑚，而且花費更少。
 
The scientists used the cryomesh to freeze Great Barrier Reef coral larvae at the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, or AIMS. Workers collected the coral during the animal's brief yearly reproductive period.
科學(xué)家們在澳大利亞海洋科學(xué)研究所 (AIMS) 使用冷凍網(wǎng)冷凍大堡礁珊瑚幼蟲。工人們在動物每年短暫的繁殖期收集珊瑚。
 
Mary Hagedorn is Senior Research Scientist at Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. She spoke with Reuters from the AIMS laboratory.
Mary Hagedorn 是史密森尼國家動物園和保護生物學(xué)研究所的高級研究科學(xué)家。她在 AIMS 實驗室接受路透社采訪。
 
She explained, "If we can secure the biodiversity of coral … then we'll have tools for the future to really help restore the reefs." She added, "…this technology for coral reefs in the future is a real game-changer."
她解釋說，“如果我們能夠確保珊瑚的生物多樣性......那么我們將擁有未來真正幫助恢復(fù)珊瑚礁的工具。”她補充說，“......未來珊瑚礁的這項技術(shù)是一個真正的游戲規(guī)則改變者。”
 
The cryomesh had been tested earlier on smaller and larger kinds of Hawaiian corals. A test on the larger failed.
cryomesh 已經(jīng)在更小和更大種類的夏威夷珊瑚上進行了測試。對較大的測試失敗。
 
Tests are continuing with larger-size Great Barrier Reef coral.
對更大尺寸的大堡礁珊瑚的測試仍在繼續(xù)。
 
The tests involved scientists from several organizations, including AIMS, the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, and the Taronga Conservation Society Australia. Together they are part of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program.
這些測試涉及來自多個組織的科學(xué)家，包括 AIMS、史密森尼國家動物園和保護生物學(xué)研究所、大堡礁基金會和澳大利亞塔龍加保護協(xié)會。它們一起是珊瑚礁恢復(fù)和適應(yīng)計劃的一部分。
 
The mesh technology helps to store coral larvae at -196 degrees Celsius. The University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering developed the material.
網(wǎng)狀技術(shù)有助于在 -196 攝氏度下儲存珊瑚幼蟲。明尼蘇達大學(xué)科學(xué)與工程學(xué)院開發(fā)了該材料。
 
The Great Barrier Reef has suffered four bleaching events in the last seven years. This includes the first ever bleach during a La Nina weather event, which usually bring cooler temperatures.
大堡礁在過去七年中經(jīng)歷了四次白化事件。這包括拉尼娜天氣事件期間的首次漂白，通常會帶來較低的溫度。
 
Coral bleaching happens when extreme temperatures and sunlight force corals to release algae living in their tissue. This causes them to lose their color and turn white. The experience greatly weakens the coral and can kill them.
當極端溫度和陽光迫使珊瑚釋放生活在其組織中的藻類時，就會發(fā)生珊瑚白化。這導(dǎo)致它們失去顏色并變成白色。這種經(jīng)歷會極大地削弱珊瑚并殺死它們。