時差N小時: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.
訂張去冰川國家國家公園的票。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20年之內(nèi)這個公園內(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)槿祟惞I(yè)還是自然循環(huán)，氣溫都在逐漸上升。而當(dāng)氣溫上升時，冰川就會融化。
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，但是那又如何?冰川看起來很漂亮，但是如果它們?nèi)诨謺惺裁床煌?
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這些河流。
Y: So are rivers drying up?
那么，河流會變得干涸嗎?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)濃度就會越高。這會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。但這個呢?溫度越高就意味著海洋的水將會有更多被蒸發(fā)，也就是說降水量也會增多，包括雪。
So maybe some glaciers will actually grow even though it's getting warmer.
所以說盡管氣候是在變暖，但冰川的數(shù)量還可能會增加。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)，一些冰川的暫時性生長是因?yàn)椴粚こ５慕笛?shù)量，但這只是冰川生成過程中的例外情況。
Generally, glaciers grow when the amount of snow that melts in the summer is less than theamount that falls in the winter.
一般來說，夏天雪融化的數(shù)量少于冬天降雪的數(shù)量時才會生成冰川。
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。
