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102期|为什么今年夏天格外炎热(下)

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But other factors layered on top of human-caused warming may have helped temperatures accelerate dramatically in recent months.

但除了人为因素导致的变暖之外,其他因素可能也促使气温在最近几个月大幅上升。

For instance, a cyclical phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation causes year-to-year fluctuations by shifting heat in and out of deeper ocean layers. Global surface temperatures tend to be cooler during La Nina years and hotter during El Nino years.

例如,太平洋上一种被称为厄尔尼诺-南方涛动的周期性现象,通过将热量从深层海水中传入和传出而导致年际气温波动。全球表面温度往往在出现拉尼娜现象时较冷,在出现厄尔尼诺现象时较热。

“A big reason we’re seeing so many records shattered is that we’re transitioning out of an unusually long three-year La Nina, which suppressed temperatures, and into a strong El Nino,” Dr. Hausfather said. That likely portends even more heat is coming.

“我们看到这么多记录被打破的一个重要原因是,我们正在从一个异常漫长的为期三年的拉尼娜现象过渡到强烈的厄尔尼诺现象,而拉尼娜现象抑制了气温。”豪斯法瑟博士说。这很可能预示着更大的热浪即将到来。

The current El Nino is just getting underway and many researchers don’t expect it to peak until December or January, with global temperatures seeing another surge in the months thereafter. That means that next year could be even hotter than this year, scientists said.

目前的厄尔尼诺现象才刚刚开始,许多研究人员预计,厄尔尼诺现象直到12月或明年1月才会达到顶峰,此后几个月全球气温将再次飙升。科学家说,这意味着明年可能会比今年更热。

Other dynamics may be at work, too. The North Atlantic has seen record heat since early March, before El Nino conditions began.

其他动态因素可能也在起作用。在厄尔尼诺现象开始之前的3月初,北大西洋出现了创纪录的高温。

One factor may be a subtropical high pressure system known as the Azores High that has weakened the winds blowing over the ocean and limited the amount of dust blowing from the Sahara, which normally helps cool the ocean.

一个因素可能是,被称为亚速尔高压的一个副热带高压系统削弱了海洋上空的风,从而限制了从撒哈拉沙漠吹来的沙尘量,而这些沙尘通常有助于给海洋降温。

These weather patterns could change in the weeks ahead, said Dr. McNoldy of the University of Miami. “But even then we’d probably be going from insanely record-breaking temperatures down to just extremely record-breaking.”

迈阿密大学的麦克诺尔迪博士说,这些天气模式可能会在未来几周发生变化。“但即使发生了变化,我们可能也只是从疯狂破纪录高温降到极端破纪录高温。”

The soaring heat has led some meteorologists to increase their warnings about this year’s hurricane season. On Thursday, forecasters at Colorado State University said they now expect an above-average Atlantic hurricane season, with around 18 tropical cyclones, a reversal from earlier forecasts of a quieter-than-usual year.

飙升的高温让一些气象学家增加了对今年飓风季节的警告。周四,科罗拉多州立大学的预报人员表示,他们现在预计会出现高于平均水平的大西洋飓风季节,会有18个热带气旋,这与早先预测的比往年更平静的飓风季节相反。

Hurricanes in the Atlantic are often suppressed during El Nino years, but that may not be true this year because of the unusually warm ocean waters, which can fuel storms.

在厄尔尼诺年间,大西洋的飓风通常会受到抑制,但今年的情况可能并非如此,因为异常温暖的海水可能会助长风暴。

Other researchers have suggested that recent efforts to clean up sulfur pollution from ships around the world may be pushing up temperatures slightly, since sulfur dioxide tends to reflect sunlight and cool the planet somewhat. That precise impact is still being debated, however.

其他研究人员则表示,近期世界各地在清理船舶带来的硫磺污染,这一行动可能会略微抬高气温,因为二氧化硫往往会反射阳光,让地球变得凉爽一些。然而,这一行动的确切影响仍在争论中。

“There does seem to be this unusual convergence of warming factors right now,” said Gabriel Vecchi, a climate scientist at Princeton. “But this is all happening in a world where we’ve been increasing greenhouse gases for the past 150 years, and that really loads the dice and makes it much more likely that we’re going to get pushed into record-breaking territory.”

“现在,许多升温因素确实出现了不同寻常的汇聚,”普林斯顿大学的气候学家加布里埃尔·维奇说,“但在过去150年里,我们一直在增加温室气体,这让结局事先注定,我们更有可能进入创纪录的高温境地。”

重点单词   查看全部解释    
extremely [iks'tri:mli]

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adv. 极其,非常

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hurricane ['hʌrikən]

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n. 飓风,飓风般猛烈的东西
adj.

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phenomenon [fi'nɔminən]

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n. 现象,迹象,(稀有)事件

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current ['kʌrənt]

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n. (水、气、电)流,趋势
adj. 流通的

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tend [tend]

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v. 趋向,易于,照料,护理

 
global ['gləubəl]

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adj. 全球性的,全世界的,球状的,全局的

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shattered ['ʃætəd]

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adj. 破碎的;极度疲劳的 v. 打碎;削弱;使心烦意

 
oscillation [.ɔsi'leiʃən]

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n. 振动,动摇,彷徨,振幅,单一的振动循环

 
shifting [ʃiftiŋ]

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n. 转移 adj. 不断改换的 动词shift的现在分

 
limited ['limitid]

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adj. 有限的,被限制的
动词limit的过

 

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