我們是如何毀掉海洋的

我們是如何毀掉海洋的

The oceans have helped buffer us against the worst effects of climate change, but they're really starting to suffer, a new report has found.

一份新的報告發(fā)現(xiàn)，海洋幫助我們抵御了氣候變化的最壞影響，但它們確實開始受到影響。

Scientists from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) on Thursday. It confirms that sea level rise is accelerating thanks to humanity's increasing greenhouse gas emissions, but that's not all.

聯(lián)合國政府間氣候變化專門委員會(IPCC)的科學家周四發(fā)布了《氣候變化中的海洋和冰凍圈特別報告》(SROCC)。報告證實，由于人類不斷增加的溫室氣體排放，海平面正在加速上升，但這還不是全部。

"What this report tells us is the oceans are getting warmer, they're losing oxygen, they're getting more acidic," Greenpeace oceans campaigner Jessica Desmond told The AM Show.

綠色和平組織的海洋運動者杰西卡·德斯蒙德在AM節(jié)目中說：“這份報告告訴我們，海洋正在變暖，缺氧，酸性越來越強。”

"We're seeing sea level rise, and we're seeing coastal wetlands, reefs and natural protections from extreme weather events breaking down all around us."

“我們看到海平面上升，我們看到沿海濕地、珊瑚礁和免受極端天氣事件影響的自然保護正在我們周圍瓦解。”

According to scientists, as the ocean warms its layers of water don't mix - warm water rises - which reduces the flow of oxygen and nutrients for marine life.

根據(jù)科學家的說法，當海洋變暖時，它的水層不會混合——溫水上升——這會減少海洋生物的氧氣和營養(yǎng)物質的流動。

The cryosphere encompasses parts of the world typically covered in ice.

冰凍圈包括世界上通常被冰覆蓋的部分。

"We can now say with some confidence that Arctic sea-ice decline is unprecedented in at least 1000 years, which is some of the clearest evidence yet that human impacts on climate already dominate over anything natural," said Prof Steven Sherwood of the University of New South Wales Climate Change Research Centre.

“我們現(xiàn)在可以肯定地說，北極海冰的減少至少在1000年內是史無前例的，這是迄今為止最清楚的證據(jù)之一，表明人類對氣候的影響已經(jīng)主導了任何自然現(xiàn)象。”新南威爾士大學氣候變化研究中心的史蒂文·舍伍德教授說。

"Also, this report examines expected changes out to the year 2300, when sea level rise is projected to be three to four metres without mitigation efforts, but could be kept under one metre with strong mitigation efforts."

“此外，這份報告還研究了2300年的預期變化，如果不采取緩解措施，海平面預計將上升3至4米，但如果采取強有力的緩解措施，海平面將保持在1米以下。”

The ocean plays an important in protecting us against temperatures getting even higher than they already are.

海洋在保護我們免受氣溫升高的影響方面發(fā)揮著重要作用。

"The IPCC SROCC report confirms that the oceans provide us with an amazing buffer against climate change," said University of Otago and NIWA expert Prof Cliff Law, who contributed to the report as a reviewer.

“IPCC SROCC報告證實，海洋為我們應對氣候變化提供了一個驚人的緩沖，”奧塔哥大學(University of Otago)和NIWA專家克利夫•勞教授(Cliff Law)表示。

"By absorbing 20 to 30 percent of the [carbon dioxide] we've released and an incredible 90 percent-plus of the additional heat retained in the global climate system, it's prevented the planet overheating."

“通過吸收我們排放的20%到30%的二氧化碳，以及全球氣候系統(tǒng)中令人難以置信的90%以上的額外熱量，它防止了地球過熱。”

But warm water takes up more room than cold, so as the ocean warms it expands - add melting ice on top of this, and there are fears much of the damage has been done, regardless of what actions we take.

但是溫暖的海水比寒冷的海水占據(jù)更多的空間，所以當海洋變暖時，它就會膨脹——再加上融化的冰，不管我們采取什么行動，人們都擔心大部分的破壞已經(jīng)造成。

"The best available computer models suggest the threshold for large, irreversible change is nearby - somewhere between 1.5C and 2C global mean warming," said University of Otago's Prof Christina Hulbe.

奧塔哥大學的克里斯蒂娜•胡爾貝教授說:“現(xiàn)有的最佳計算機模型表明，不可逆轉的大變化的門檻就在附近——全球平均氣溫上升1.5至2攝氏度之間。”

"So while there is certainly change locked in, it may still be possible to avoid some of the largest consequences of global warming."

“因此，盡管肯定會有變化，但仍有可能避免全球變暖帶來的一些最嚴重后果。”