PBS高端访谈:冰架大裂缝迫使南极科考人员疏散

 　　AUDIE CORNISH: Now to our NewsHour Shares, something that caught our eye that might be of interest to you, too.

　　For more than 60 years, British researchers have monitored changes in the world's atmosphere from a remote lab in Antarctica.

　　Now, for the first time ever, this facility will close, at least temporarily, to protect the safety of its residents.

　　The NewsHour's Julia Griffin explains.

　　JULIA GRIFFIN: At the bottom of our planet, on top of more than 400 feet of ice, sits a state-of-the-art research station called Halley VI.

　　DAVID VAUGHAN, Director of Science, British Antarctic Survey: It's an extraordinary place to be, sitting in this, what feels like a large ship on the ice, looking out across the vast expanse of essentially¹ nothingness.

　　JULIA GRIFFIN: David Vaughan is director of science for British Antarctic Survey, which runs Halley VI.

　　DAVID VAUGHAN: The science that we do at Halley isn't just about exploring. It's actually making measurements that really inform how we interact with our planet, about the risk of severe space weather storms that might knock out our satellite GPS systems.

　　It's about looking at the emissions² of carbon dioxide and methane³ at the last place on Earth that is seeing those emissions.

　　JULIA GRIFFIN: To do that, Halley VI is a feat⁴ of engineering in one of the most extreme environments. Its eight interlocking pods shield up to 70 researchers and support staff from freezing. Special hydraulic⁵ legs lift the pods as snow accumulates, and when the time comes, the pods can be towed on their ski-like feet.

　　冰架大裂缝迫使南极科考人员疏散

　　DAVID VAUGHAN: The ice shelf itself moves. So if we're going to maintain the same geographical⁶ position, we have to be able to move across the ice.

　　JULIA GRIFFIN: Another reason they might want to move? Should that ice shelf threaten to become an iceberg⁷.

　　This summer — yes, it's summer in the Southern Hemisphere — Halley VI was already being towed 15 miles inland to avoid this decades-old chasm⁸, when a new, nearly 30-mile-long crack opened suddenly on its other side.

　　DAVID VAUGHAN: The crack that you are seeing goes all the way down to the ocean. And if you can look deep enough in there, you would see seawater. Really, the potential interaction between those two cracks and how then the ice shelf would respond as a whole, that we actually find very unpredictable.

　　JULIA GRIFFIN: The agency has decided⁹ to vacate the station altogether before winter.

　　DAVID VAUGHAN: In the summer, we have the opportunity to remove people relatively¹⁰ rapidly from the station, but, during the winter, when it is cold and dark and stormy for many months at a time, that's the point at which we would find it quite hard to get people out.

　　JULIA GRIFFIN: While other ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula have been impacted by climate change, Vaughan thinks this might be part of a natural cycle.

　　DAVID VAUGHAN: Maybe the ice shelf will go back to a new equilibrium¹¹ in time, but, at the moment, we just can't predict with any certainty how long that will take.

　　JULIA GRIFFIN: This marks the first time scientists will be removed from a Halley station. British Antarctic Survey hopes they will return next November.

　　For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Julia Griffin, slightly warmer in Arlington, Virginia.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Nice place to take a vacation.

　　AUDIE CORNISH: Right, only slightly warmer.

1 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

2 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

3 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

4 feat   

n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的

参考例句：

• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

5 hydraulic   

adj.水力的；水压的，液压的；水力学的

参考例句：

• The boat has no fewer than five hydraulic pumps.这艘船配有不少于5个液压泵。
• A group of apprentics were operating the hydraulic press.一群学徒正在开动水压机。

6 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

7 iceberg   

n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人

参考例句：

• The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。

8 chasm   

n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突

参考例句：

• There's a chasm between rich and poor in that society.那社会中存在着贫富差距。
• A huge chasm gaped before them.他们面前有个巨大的裂痕。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

11 equilibrium   

n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静

参考例句：

• Change in the world around us disturbs our inner equilibrium.我们周围世界的变化扰乱了我们内心的平静。
• This is best expressed in the form of an equilibrium constant.这最好用平衡常数的形式来表示。