SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - American Scientists Estimate Future We

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - American Scientists Estimate Future Weather Conditions in Africa
By Jill Moss¹ and Amanda Scott

Broadcast: Tuesday, June 07, 2005

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VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty². On our program this week: we tell about the recent discovery of a bird once thought to no longer exist. We also report on the discovery of animals formerly³ unknown to science.

VOICE ONE:

But first, American scientists estimate future weather conditions in Africa.

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VOICE ONE:

 
 
A new American study examines the past and future climate of Africa. The study found the Sahel area of North Africa will experience rainy, wet weather in coming years. At the same time, the study shows dry weather will continue in southern Africa.

James Hurrell and Martin Hoerling led the study. Professor Hurrell is a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric⁴ Research in Boulder⁵, Colorado. Professor Hoerling works for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration office in Boulder.

The study compared sixty possible examples of climate change. The examples came from five computer programs developed by scientific centers around the world.

VOICE TWO:

Professor Hurrell says changes in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans are affecting weather conditions in Africa. Studies show the temperature of the Indian Ocean has risen more than one degree Celsius⁶ since nineteen fifty.

Professor Hurrell suspects the cause is an increase in industrial gases trapped in the Earth's atmosphere. Many scientists believe that such gases are causing temperatures to rise.

Professor Hurrell says he expects a continued warming of the Indian Ocean. This warming, he says, causes changes in the atmosphere. More warm air is rising over the water and developing into storms. At the same time, parts of southern Africa are drying out. Severely⁷ affected⁸ countries include Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Professor Hurrell says he expects the dry weather there to continue for many years.

VOICE ONE:

Professor Hurrell believes a different process is taking place in the Sahel area of Africa. The area is just south of the Sahara Desert.

The Sahel experienced a severe lack of rainfall in the nineteen seventies. Nearly two hundred thousand people died from a lack of food.

However, since nineteen ninety, ocean surface temperatures have been rising more quickly in the North Atlantic than in the Southern Atlantic. This is causing heavy rains from northern Africa to move into the Sahel area.

Professor Hurrell believes an increase in industrial gasses may have caused the change from dry to wet weather in the Sahel. He expects this wet climate to continue for many years.

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VOICE TWO:

A bird once thought to no longer exist has been discovered in the southeastern United States. Bird experts say they recently observed the ivory⁹-billed woodpecker in the state of Arkansas. Experts had thought the ivory bill disappeared sixty years ago. The bird was last seen in nineteen forty-four.

 
 
Experts, wildlife groups and government officials kept the discovery a secret for more than a year. They waited to both confirm a sighting made in February of last year and also to protect the bird's home.

John Fitzpatrick led the efforts to confirm the existence of the ivory-billed woodpecker. He is the director of the Laboratory of Ornithology¹⁰ at Cornell University. Professor Fitzpatrick described the sighting of the ivory bill as one of the best discoveries ever made. He added that Americans might have another chance to protect the future of the bird and the forests in which it lives.

VOICE ONE:

The ivory bill is the largest woodpecker in North America. It is fifty centimeters tall and has sharp white and black feathers. The male ivory bill has bright red markings at the top of the head.

There were large numbers of ivory bills one hundred fifty years ago. They lived in the woods that covered much of the southeastern United States.

The desire for wood and wood products began to increase after the Civil War ended in eighteen sixty-five. Many of the trees where the birds lived were cut down.

The destruction of these forests continued throughout the nineteen forties. By then, the ivory-billed woodpecker had almost disappeared. Many bird experts continued to look for ivory bills. Until now, there was no evidence that the birds still existed.

VOICE TWO:

Since the rediscovery, many people have offered to work together to save the bird's wooded home. American government agencies have offered ten million dollars to protect the forest where the ivory bill was found.

Up to now, all sightings have been of a single male bird flying alone. Some people are beginning to wonder if they have found the last living ivory-billed woodpecker.

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VOICE ONE:

The discovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker was joyous¹¹ news to many bird lovers. Equally exciting for plant scientists was a discovery reported last month. A wildflower called the Mount¹² Diablo buckwheat was found in the American state of California.

A student at the University of California at Berkley made the discovery. Michael Park was studying plants at a state park about fifty kilometers east of San Francisco. Mister Park says he was shocked when he found the Mount Diablo buckwheat. There had not been a confirmed sighting of the wildflower since nineteen thirty-six. Plant scientists thought it had permanently¹³ disappeared.

The Mount Diablo buckwheat has small pink flowers and grows to a height of about fifteen centimeters. Scientists and park officials are not telling the public exactly where the plant is right away. They believe keeping the information secret will help protect it.

VOICE TWO:

Wildlife experts also have discovered animals formerly unknown to science. Two research teams working independently in Tanzania say they recently found a new member of the monkey family.

The new monkey is called the highland¹⁴ mangabey. Researchers say it lives high in the mountains of two Tanzanian forests. They say the animal has long hair and is less than a meter tall. They say the monkey's life in the trees and its black face probably means it is similar to the baboon¹⁵. The researchers also said the highland mangabey makes a strange noise. They describe its call as a honk-bark.

VOICE ONE:

Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society first discovered the monkeys. Later, researchers from the University of Georgia and Conservation International observed the animals.

Tim Davenport led the researchers who first saw the highland mangabey two years ago. They had heard stories about an unusual monkey near the Mount Rungwe volcano and Livingstone Forest in southern Tanzania.

The other researchers made their discovery about three hundred fifty kilometers away from Mount Rungwe. They were in the Udzunga Mountains. Trevor Jones and his team were looking for an endangered monkey species¹⁶. But, they found the new monkey instead.

In all, the two teams found just thirteen groups of highland mangabeys. It is the first new species of African monkey found in more than twenty years. Tim Davenport says the discovery proves that there is still much to learn about Africa.

VOICE TWO:

We have one more discovery to tell you about. Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society and other groups say they discovered a new kind of rodent¹⁷ in Laos. Their findings were reported in the magazine Systematics and Biodiversity.

The report says the new rodent has long whiskers, short legs and thick hair. The researchers say it is most like a guinea pig or chinchilla. However, the report says the animal is so different that it represents a new family of animals.

VOICE ONE:

Robert Timmins of the Wildlife Conservation Society first saw the rodent for sale at a market in central Laos. He says he knew immediately that he had never seen such an animal before. The report says bone and genetic¹⁸ tests suggest the animal must have developed from other rodents¹⁹ millions of years ago.

Laotians call the rodent Kha-Nyou. The report says the animal appears to live mostly in areas of limestone²⁰ and forest. It also said the Kha-Nyou sleeps during the day and does not eat meat.

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VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Jill Moss and Amanda Scott. Jill Moss was our producer. I'm Bob Doughty.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Barbara Klein. Join us again next week for SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English.

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1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

2 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

3 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

4 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

5 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

6 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

7 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

8 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

9 ivory   

n.象牙，乳白色；adj.象牙制的，乳白色的

参考例句：

• My grandmother has some jewelry made of ivory.我祖母有一些象牙首饰。
• It is carved from ivory.它是用象牙雕成的。

10 ornithology   

n.鸟类学

参考例句：

• He found his vocation in ornithology.他发现自己适于专攻鸟类学。
• His main interests are botany and ornithology.他主要对植物学和鸟类学感兴趣。

11 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

12 mount   

n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备

参考例句：

• Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
• She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。

13 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

14 highland   

n.(pl.)高地，山地

参考例句：

• The highland game is part of Scotland's cultural heritage.苏格兰高地游戏是苏格兰文化遗产的一部分。
• The highland forests where few hunters venture have long been the bear's sanctuary.这片只有少数猎人涉险的高山森林，一直都是黑熊的避难所。

15 baboon   

n.狒狒

参考例句：

• A baboon is a large monkey that lives in Africa.狒狒是一种生活在非洲的大猴子。
• As long as the baboon holds on to what it wants,it's trapped.只要狒狒紧抓住想要的东西不放手，它就会被牢牢困住。

16 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

17 rodent   

n.啮齿动物；adj.啮齿目的

参考例句：

• When there is a full moon,this nocturnal rodent is careful to stay in its burrow.月圆之夜，这种夜间活动的啮齿类动物会小心地呆在地洞里不出来。
• This small rodent can scoop out a long,narrow tunnel in a very short time.这种小啮齿动物能在很短的时间里挖出一条又长又窄的地道来。

18 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

19 rodents   

n.啮齿目动物( rodent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Rodents carry diseases and are generally regarded as pests. 啮齿目动物传播疾病，常被当作害虫对待。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some wild rodents in Africa also harbor the virus. 在非洲，有些野生啮齿动物也是储毒者。 来自辞典例句

20 limestone   

n.石灰石

参考例句：

• Limestone is often used in building construction.石灰岩常用于建筑。
• Cement is made from limestone.水泥是由石灰石制成的。