這里是很美麗的田園之地
It's hard to believe that an ecological catastrophehappened here.
很難相信這里曾經(jīng)發(fā)生過生態(tài)災(zāi)難
But in 1998, sea temperatures
但是在1998年,該地區(qū)海洋溫度
throughout the regionincreased by almost two degrees.
升高了將近2度
For these jellyfish, it was a disaster.
對(duì)于這些水母來說是災(zāi)難
It's estimated up to 20 million of them perished.
據(jù)估計(jì)有2000萬死亡
Just two degrees of warming
只是2度
was enough to almost annihilate an entire species.
就幾乎消滅了整個(gè)物種
Fortunately, this was caused by a short-lived
幸運(yùn)的是,這是由于當(dāng)?shù)販囟?/p>
variation in the local climate.
發(fā)生短暫變化造成的
Once the waters began to cool, the jellyfish were able to recover.
一旦海水降溫,水母就會(huì)恢復(fù)
But it's a stark warning of what could happen
但是這是個(gè)殘酷的警告
if the world's oceans become too warm.
如果世界的海洋因?yàn)闅夂蜃兓^續(xù)變暖后果將會(huì)是什么
The seas around Palau are also vulnerable
但是帕老地球的海洋
to another threat related to carbon dioxide.
很容易遭受另一個(gè)于二氧化碳有關(guān)的威脅
And it's potentially far more serious than increasing temperatures.
可能要比溫度升高更嚴(yán)重
It's called ocean acidification.
那就是海洋酸化
It happens when carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
當(dāng)大氣中的二氧化碳
dissolves into the sea.
溶解到海洋中就會(huì)發(fā)生這種情況
In the past, levels of carbon dioxide changed very slowly.
在過去,二氧化碳的含量變化很慢
So the oceans had time to adjust to any increase in acidity.
所以海洋有時(shí)間適應(yīng)酸度的增長(zhǎng)