Life isn't easy for a penguin chick.
小企鹅的生活不易。
There's a lot to worry about: predators, having enough food, and now the changing climate.
有好多事情需要操心:肉类捕食动物,储备充足的食物,而现在又出现了气候变暖问题。
Researchers spent nearly thirty years tracking chicks at Punta Tombo, the world's largest colony of Magellanic penguins.
研究人员们花了将近30年的时间追踪Punta Tombo群岛上生活的这群小家伙,这里是世界上最大的麦哲伦企鹅栖息地。
They found that increased rainfall and extreme heat due to climate change are killing chicks.
他们发现由于气候变暖出现越来越多的暴雨和极端暴热天气正在把这些鸟类逼向死亡之路。
The study is in the journal PLoS ONE.
这项研究已在《公共科学图书馆·综合》杂志上发表。
Down-covered chicks are too big to receive parental protection from the elements, but are not old enough to have grown protective waterproof feathers.
本来就没什么毛的小鸟类由于体型巨大不能从母体获得保护,但是又还没有长出足够防水保温的羽毛,
So they get soaked to the skin during rainstorms and die of hypothermia.
所以它们的皮肤就会因长期暴露在暴雨中导致体温过低死亡。
Their downy feathers do them a disservice during heat waves too, since they can't go for a swim to cool off until their waterproof feathers grow in.
热浪袭来的时候这些绒毛对它们也同样有伤害,因为在防水的羽毛长出来前,它们还不能通过游泳在水中降温。
Chicks not getting enough food are even more susceptible to the elements, as they lack the fuel to maintain their body temperature.
得不到充足食物的小企鹅们甚至还对周围天气变化很敏感,因为缺乏足够的能量维持体温。
Storms during breeding season are already on the rise, and are expected to keep increasing.
繁殖期发生的暴风雨天气的出现已经很频繁了,并且预计还将维持上升趋势。
So climate change will likely pose a challenge not only in Magellanic penguins, but other seabirds as well.
由此可见,气候变化将不仅对麦哲伦企鹅带来威胁,而且对其它种类的海鸟也是有巨大伤害的。
It'll be sink or swim.
如果不想被水淹,就要学会游泳了。