Researchers have cast light on one of the riddles of ?climate science: why has global warming stalled when emissions of the greenhouse gases blamed for climate change have kept soaring?

　　研究人员就一个气候学难题给出了解释：在被指造成气候变化的温室气体排放持续飙升之际，全球变暖趋势为何停滞？

　　The explanation lies in an unprecedented strengthening of Pacific trade winds over the past 20 years, according to a study by US and Australian scientists.

　　美国和澳大利亚科学家展开的一项研究发现，原因在于过去20年太平洋信风风力的空前加强。

　　These easterly winds, which blow across the tropics, have speeded up ocean circulation at the equator, pushing heat deep down into the ocean’s depths and bringing cooler water up to the surface.

　　这些吹过热带地区的东风加速了赤道地区的海洋环流，将热水推入太平洋深处，同时给海平面带来了较冷的水。

　　This has driven more cooling in other regions and accounts for much of the reason why global average air surface temperatures have stayed virtually steady since 2001, says the paper, published in this week’s Nature Climate Change journal.

　　本周发表在《自然气候变化》(Nature Climate Change)杂志上的这篇论文称，这促使其他地区气温降低，并在很大程度上解释了全球平均气温为何自2001年以来基本保持稳定。

　　This pause could persist for much of the present decade if the strong trade winds continue, but the paper warns that once they slow down “rapid warming is expected to resume”.

　　如果这股强大的信风继续存在，全球变暖趋势的暂停可能会在本10年的大部分时间内持续，但这篇论文警告称，一旦风力减弱，“预计全球将重新迅速变暖”。

　　“Scientists have long suspected that extra ocean heat uptake has slowed the rise of global average temperatures, but the mechanism behind the hiatus remained unclear,” said the study’s lead author, Professor Matthew England of the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science.

　　该研究的主要作者、澳大利亚学术研究理事会(Australian Research Council)气候系统科学卓越中心(Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science)教授马修?英格兰(Matthew England)表示：“长期以来，科学家们一直怀疑海洋额外吸收热量减缓了全球平均气温升高的趋势，但对于停滞背后的机制仍不大清楚。”

　　The implications of the research were of concern, he added. “The current hiatus offers no comfort. We are just seeing another pause in warming before the next inevitable rise in global temperatures.”

　　他补充称，这项研究的影响令人担忧。“当前全球变暖趋势暂停一点都不让人放心。我们看到的只是在全球气温下一次不可避免地上升之前的又一次暂停。”

　　The stalling in air temperature rises, which follows a steady trend of warming through much of the 20th century, has led some to question whether climate change is a problem, or whether it exists at all.

　　全球变暖趋势在20世纪的很长时间内稳定延续后，其停滞让一些人质疑，气候变化是否是一个问题？抑或气候变化是否存在？

　　The proportion of people in the US who do not believe global warming is happening rose 7 percentage points to 23 per cent between April and November last year, according to a US study.

　　美国的一项研究发现，从去年4月到11月，认为全球变暖没有出现的美国人的比例上升7个百分点，达到23%。(FT)