你和一棵銀杏樹可以幫助科學(xué)家研究氣候變化

你和一棵銀杏樹可以幫助科學(xué)家研究氣候變化

Most of us can't do much to stop climate change, but doing a little is still better than nothing. And along with the many lifestyle changes that can shrink our carbon footprints, one undervalued way to help is by serving as a citizen scientist. This August, if you have some free time and legal access to a ginkgo tree, there's an easy way to help researchers study this increasingly hot mess.

我們大多數(shù)人都無法為阻止氣候變化做太多，但做一點(diǎn)總比什么都不做強(qiáng)。隨著許多生活方式的改變，我們的碳足跡也在不斷縮小，一種被低估的幫助方式就是成為一名公民科學(xué)家。今年8月，如果你有一些自由時(shí)間和合法途徑獲得一棵銀杏樹，有一個(gè)簡單的方法可以幫助研究人員研究這種越來越熱的混亂。

Because ginkgo trees haven't changed much in all that time, they're in a unique position to help us learn what Earth was like many millions of years ago — and what it might be like in the coming centuries. The long continuity of ginkgos makes it easier for scientists to compare modern specimens with prehistoric remains, which can reveal how Earth's atmosphere has changed naturally over time, and how today's sped-up climate change might affect plant life (and, by extension, us) in the near future.

由于銀杏樹在這段時(shí)間里沒有發(fā)生太大的變化，它們處于一個(gè)獨(dú)特的位置，幫助我們了解數(shù)百萬年前的地球是什么樣子的——以及未來幾個(gè)世紀(jì)的地球可能是什么樣子的。銀杏的長時(shí)間連續(xù)性使科學(xué)家更容易將現(xiàn)代標(biāo)本與史前遺跡進(jìn)行比較，這可以揭示地球大氣如何隨著時(shí)間的推移發(fā)生自然變化，以及今天加速的氣候變化如何在不久的將來影響植物生命(進(jìn)而影響我們)。

Ginkgo trees have distinctive fan-shaped leaves, which are green all summer before turning a vivid yellow in autumn. (Photo: V.apl/Shutterstock)

For the other part of the project, researchers are relying on help from citizen scientists. This is a multiphase initiative, as Meilan Solly reports for Smithsonian Magazine, including a long-term component as well as one that only runs through August.

在項(xiàng)目的另一部分，研究人員正依賴于公民科學(xué)家的幫助。正如美蘭·索利為《史密森尼》雜志所報(bào)道的那樣，這是一個(gè)多項(xiàng)計(jì)劃，包括一項(xiàng)長期計(jì)劃，以及一項(xiàng)僅持續(xù)到8月的計(jì)劃。

This project's main goal is to clarify the relationship between atmospheric CO2 levels and two kinds of cells — stomatal and epidermal — in ginkgo leaves. Once that's fully understood, fossilized ginkgo leaves should provide more reliable climate proxies, the researchers explain, a term for data sources that can reveal details about climates of the distant past.

本項(xiàng)目的主要目的是闡明大氣CO2水平與銀杏葉中兩種細(xì)胞(氣孔細(xì)胞和表皮細(xì)胞)之間的關(guān)系。研究人員解釋說，一旦完全理解了這一點(diǎn)，銀杏葉化石應(yīng)該能提供更可靠的氣候代用指標(biāo)，這是一個(gè)可以揭示遙遠(yuǎn)過去氣候細(xì)節(jié)的數(shù)據(jù)源的術(shù)語。

In the greenhouse experiment, the researchers are growing 15 ginkgo trees at various CO2 levels. As they monitor those leaves, though, they're also seeking a much wider dataset beyond one group of just 15 trees. And that's where citizen science comes in.

在溫室實(shí)驗(yàn)中，研究人員在不同的二氧化碳濃度下種植了15棵銀杏樹。然而，當(dāng)他們監(jiān)測這些葉子時(shí)，他們也在尋找一個(gè)更廣泛的數(shù)據(jù)集，而不僅僅是一組15棵樹。這就是公民科學(xué)的用武之地。

If you'd like to help perform that role, there are a few things to know before getting started. You'll need to join the project on iNaturalist (which is free), either via its website or mobile app, and you'll need a smartphone or a computer plus a camera. Your ginkgo tree must be at least 10 feet tall, and should either be located on public property or private property that you have permission to use for this purpose. Identify whether the tree is male or female (the project site offers tips to help), then take a photo of the entire tree and one of its base, which you'll post to iNaturalist. You'll also need to gently collect at least six leaves from a single short cluster, secure them in a "cardboard ginkgo sandwich" and then mail them off to the researchers.

如果你想幫助完成這個(gè)角色，在開始之前有幾件事要知道。你需要通過iNaturalist的網(wǎng)站或移動(dòng)應(yīng)用程序(這是免費(fèi)的)加入這個(gè)項(xiàng)目，你需要一部智能手機(jī)或一臺(tái)電腦，外加一臺(tái)相機(jī)。您的銀杏樹必須至少有10英尺高，并且應(yīng)該位于公共財(cái)產(chǎn)或私人財(cái)產(chǎn)，您有權(quán)用于此目的。確定這棵樹是雄的還是雌的(該網(wǎng)站提供了一些幫助)，然后給整棵樹和它的一個(gè)底座拍張照片，你會(huì)把它貼到《自然主義者》上。你還需要輕輕從一個(gè)短簇中收集至少六片葉子，把它們放在一個(gè)“硬紙板銀杏三明治”里，然后寄給研究人員。

Another option is an online tool for stomatal counting, letting anyone with an internet connection help researchers by counting stomata in photos of both modern and fossilized ginkgo leaves. This can be tricky, but the tool offers tips and tutorials, and also features an an "easier count" mode to help you hone your skills before trying the more advanced stomatal count. According to the site, more than 3,300 volunteers have completed nearly 25,000 classifications since the project launched in 2017.

另一種選擇是一個(gè)在線的氣孔計(jì)數(shù)工具，任何人只要有網(wǎng)絡(luò)連接，都可以通過在現(xiàn)代和銀杏葉化石的照片中計(jì)數(shù)氣孔來幫助研究人員。這可能有點(diǎn)棘手，但該工具提供了提示和教程，并提供了一個(gè)“更簡單的計(jì)數(shù)”模式，幫助您在嘗試更高級(jí)的氣孔計(jì)數(shù)之前磨練您的技能。該網(wǎng)站稱，自2017年該項(xiàng)目啟動(dòng)以來，已有3300多名志愿者完成了近2.5萬個(gè)分類。

This kind of research is becoming "vital" for climate science, Soul tells Solly, since it lets us collect more data in less time about an increasingly urgent issue. While that's generally good for anyone on the planet, projects like this can also help more people get interested and involved with science. And of all possible scientific topics, this one needs all the enthusiasm it can get.

索爾告訴索利，這種研究對氣候科學(xué)來說正變得“至關(guān)重要”，因?yàn)樗屛覀冊诟痰臅r(shí)間內(nèi)收集到更多關(guān)于一個(gè)日益緊迫的問題的數(shù)據(jù)。雖然這對地球上的每個(gè)人來說都是好事，但像這樣的項(xiàng)目也可以幫助更多的人對科學(xué)感興趣并參與其中。在所有可能的科學(xué)話題中，這個(gè)話題需要所有的熱情。

"The real benefit [for volunteers] is to participate in a project that's actually answering useful questions about our changing climate," Soul says, "which is one of the most pressing issues that we're facing at the moment."

索爾說:“(對志愿者來說)真正的好處是參與一個(gè)項(xiàng)目，它實(shí)際上是在回答有關(guān)氣候變化的有用問題，這是我們目前面臨的最緊迫的問題之一。”