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KateStafford_2016X-_人类噪音是如何影响海洋栖息地的_

In 1956, a documentary by Jacques Cousteau won both the Palme d'Or and an Oscar award. 1956年,雅克·库斯托的一部纪录片 获得了金棕榈奖和奥斯卡奖。
This film was called,"Le Monde Du Silence," 这部影片被称为《Le Monde Du Silence》,
Monde:n.时髦社交界;上流社会;
or, "The Silent World." 或,《寂静的世界》。
The premise of the title was that the underwater world was a quiet world. 这个片名表明水下世界是个寂静的世界。
premise:n.前提;假定;v.假定;预述(条件等);引导(论述等);; underwater:adj.在水中的;水面下的;adv.在水下;n.水下;
We now know, 60 years later, that the underwater world is anything but silent. 60年后,我们终于知道, 水下世界一点都不安静。
Although the sounds are inaudible above water depending on where you are and the time of year, the underwater soundscape can be as noisy as any jungle or rainforest . 虽然在水面上听不到水下的声音, 不过这也取决于你所在的位置和时间。 其实,水下世界可以像丛林和雨林一样嘈杂。
inaudible:adj.听不见的;不可闻的; soundscape:n.音景;音响范围; jungle:n.密林;尔虞我诈的环境;危险地带; rainforest:n.(热带)雨林;
Invertebrates like snapping shrimp ,fish and marine mammals all use sound. 像鼓虾一样的无脊椎动物、鱼和海洋哺乳动物 都会产生声音。
Invertebrates:n.[无脊椎]无脊椎动物(invertebrate的复数); snapping:v.断裂,绷断;打开,关上,移到某位置;(snap的现在分词) shrimp:n.虾;小虾;矮小的人;vi.捕虾;adj.有虾的;虾制的; marine:adj.海的;海产的;海生的;海船的;n.(尤指美国或英国皇家)海军陆战队士兵; mammals:n.哺乳动物;(mammal的复数)
They use sound to study their habitat , to keep in communication with each other, to navigate ,to detect predators and prey . 它们用声音来了解它们的栖息地, 来向对方传递信息, 来导航,来探测捕食者和猎物。
habitat:n.[生态]栖息地,产地; navigate:vt.驾驶,操纵;使通过;航行于;vi.航行,航空; detect:vt.察觉;发现;探测; predators:n.捕食性动物;实行弱肉强食的人(或机构);掠夺者;(predator的复数) prey:n.猎物;受害者;受骗者;v.折磨;掠夺;捕食(on,upon);损害(on,upon);
They also use sound by listening to know something about their environment. 它们还运用声音来了解它们的环境。
Take, for an example, the Arctic . 举个例子,北极,
Arctic:adj.北极的;北极地区的;极冷的;严寒的;n.北极;北极地区;
It's considered a vast, inhospitable place, sometimes described as a desert, because it is so cold and so remote and ice-covered for much of the year. 它被看作是一个辽阔的不适合居住的地方, 有的时候它被描述成沙漠, 因为它太寒冷和太遥远了, 并且常年被冰覆盖。
inhospitable:adj.荒凉的;冷淡的,不好客的;不适居留的; described:v.描述;形容;把…称为;做…运动;(describe的过去分词和过去式) remote:adj.偏远的;偏僻的;遥远的;久远的; ice-covered:冰封的;
And despite this, there is no place on Earth that I would rather be than the Arctic, especially as days lengthen and spring comes. 尽管这样, 在地球上,我最愿意呆在北极, 特别是当白天变长,春天到来的时候。
despite:prep.尽管,不管;n.轻视;憎恨;侮辱; would rather:宁愿,宁可; especially:adv.尤其;特别;格外;十分; lengthen:vt.使延长;加长;vi.延长;变长;
To me, the Arctic really embodies this disconnect between what we see on the surface and what's going on underwater. 对我来说,北极真正体现了 水面上所见和水面下所发生的截然不同。
embodies:vt.体现,使具体化;具体表达; disconnect:vt.拆开,使分离;vi.断开;
You can look out across the ice — all white and blue and cold — and see nothing. 你在水面上眺望冰盖, 一片白色和蓝色,十分寒冷, 什么都看不到。
But if you could hear underwater,the sounds you would hear would at first amaze and then delight you. 但是如果你能听到水下对的声音 你先会惊奇,然后会开心。
amaze:v.使惊奇;使惊愕;使惊诧;n.(诗)同"amazement"; delight:n.高兴;vi.高兴;vt.使高兴;
And while your eyes are seeing nothing for kilometers but ice, your ears are telling you that out there are bowhead and beluga whales, walrus and bearded seals. 当你的眼睛只看到连绵几千米的冰雪, 你的耳朵却在告诉你水底有弓头鲸和白鲸, 海象和髯海豹。
bowhead:n.一种头口特大的鲸鱼; beluga:n.[脊椎]白鲸;白色大鳇鱼; walrus:n.海象;
The ice, too, makes sounds. 冰也会产生声音,
It screeches and cracks and pops and groans , as it collides and rubs when temperature or currents or winds change. 当温度、洋流或者风改变的时候, 它们发生碰撞和摩擦, 产生嘎吱、爆裂等声音。
screeches:vi.发出尖锐的声音; n.尖叫声,尖利刺耳的声音; vt.尖着声音讲或喊; cracks:n.裂纹; v.破裂; (crack的第三人称单数和复数) groans:n.呻吟(groan的复数形式);v.呻吟(groan的第三人称单数形式); collides:vi.碰撞;抵触,冲突;vt.使碰撞;使相撞; rubs:擦;
And under 100 percent sea ice in the dead of winter, bowhead whales are singing. 还有,在严冬季节全冰覆盖下, 弓头鲸在唱歌。
And you would never expect that, because we humans, we tend to be very visual animals. 超乎我们的想象, 我们人类, 更多的是视觉动物。
visual:adj.视觉的,视力的;栩栩如生的;
For most of us, but not all, our sense of sight is how we navigate our world. 对我们的大多数来说(并不是所有人), 我们的视觉指引我们的方向, 然而对于住在海底的海洋哺乳动物,
For marine mammals that live underwater,where chemical cues and light transmit poorly, sound is the sense by which they see. 因为水下化学信号和光的传播都非常弱, 声音就是它们的向导。
chemical:n.化学制品,化学药品;adj.化学的; cues:n.开端,线索;提示,关键;球杆;诱因(cue的复数形式); transmit:v.传送;发射;播送;传播;传染;
And sound transmits very well underwater, much better than it does in air, so signals can be heard over great distances. 而且声音在水下可以很好地传播, 比在空气中要好很多, 所以信号能传播到很远的距离。
transmits:v.传送;发射;播送;传播;传染;(transmit的第三人称单数)
In the Arctic, this is especially important, because not only do Arctic marine mammals have to hear each other, but they also have to listen for cues in the environment that might indicate heavy ice ahead or open water. 在北极,这至关重要, 不仅因为北极的 哺乳动物们需要听到同伴的声音, 它们还需要通过聆听周围的环境, 来探测前方是厚冰层还是开放的水域。
listen for:倾听; indicate:v.表明;显示;象征;暗示;
Remember, although they spend most of their lives underwater, they are mammals, and so they have to surface to breathe. 记住,虽然它们大多数时间都住在水下, 但它们是哺乳动物, 所以它们需要到水面呼吸。
So they might listen for thin ice or no ice, or listen for echoes off nearby ice. 所以它们需要聆听薄冰或无冰的位置, 或者聆听附近冰层的回声。
echoes:n.回声; v.发出回声; nearby:adj.附近的,邻近的;adv.在附近;prep.在…附近;
Arctic marine mammals live in a rich and varied underwater soundscape. 北极的海洋哺乳动物住在一个丰富多样的水下声景中。
varied:adj.多变的;各式各样的;杂色的;v.改变;使多样化;(vary的过去式和过去分词)
In the spring, it can be a cacophony of sound. 在春天, 是一片混杂的声音。
cacophony:n.刺耳的音调;不和谐音;
(Marine mammal sounds) (海洋哺乳动物的声音)
But when the ice is frozen solid, and there are no big temperature shifts or current changes, the underwater Arctic has some of the lowest ambient noise levels of the world's oceans. 但是当水结成冰, 并且没有剧烈的气温变化或者洋流变化时, 北极水下的环境声级 是全世界海洋中最低的。
shifts:n.转移; v.转移; (shift的第三人称单数) ambient:adj.周围的;外界的;环绕的;n.周围环境;
But this is changing. 但是这种状况正在改变。
This is primarily due to a decrease in seasonal sea ice, which is a direct result of human greenhouse gas emissions . 主要是因为季节性浮冰的减少, 人类温室气体排放的直接导致了这种减少。
primarily:adv.首先;主要地,根本上; decrease:v.降低;减少;缩小;减弱;n.减少;减小量;所减少的总量;减缩位置; seasonal:adj.季节的;周期性的;依照季节的; greenhouse gas:n.温室气体(尤指二氧化碳); emissions:n.(光、热、气等的)发出,排放;排放物;散发物;(emission的复数)
We are, in effect, with climate change, conducting a completely uncontrolled experiment with our planet. 伴随着气候变化,事实上我们 正在我们的星球 实施一场完全无法控制的实验。
conducting:v.组织;安排;实施;指挥;引导;导游(conduct的现在分词) uncontrolled:adj.不受控制的;
Over the past 30 years, areas of the Arctic have seen decreases in seasonal sea ice from anywhere from six weeks to four months. 在过去的30年中, 北极的季节性浮冰到处都在减少, 减少时间从六周到四个月不等。
decreases:减少(decrease的复数);
This decrease in sea ice is sometimes referred to as an increase in the open water season. 这种减少某种程度上 也就是非冰期的增加。
referred:v.提到;引用;认为;指示;涉及;(refer的过去式和过去分词) in the open:在户外;在野外;
That is the time of year when the Arctic is navigable to vessels . 也意味着北极可行船的时间变长了。
navigable:adj.可航行的;可驾驶的;适于航行的; vessels:n.血管(vessel的复数);船舶;容器;
And not only is the extent of ice changing, but the age and the width of ice is, too. 而且不仅冰的覆盖区减小了, 冰龄和冰宽也改变了。
extent:n.程度;范围;长度; width:n.宽度;广度;某一宽度的材料;(游泳池两长边之间的)池宽;
Now, you may well have heard that a decrease in seasonal sea ice is causing a loss of habitat for animals that rely on sea ice, such as ice seals,or walrus, or polar bears. 你可能听说过 季节性浮冰的减少造成了 使得依赖于冰的动物丧失了栖息地, 比如海狗、海狮和北极熊。
rely:vi.依靠;信赖; polar:adj.极地的;南极(或北极)的;n.极线;极面;
Decreasing sea ice is also causing increased erosion along coastal villages, and changing prey availability for marine birds and mammals. 季节性浮冰的减少还 增加了沿岸岸村庄的水土流失, 海鸟和哺乳动物的猎物也变少了。
Decreasing:v.(使大小、数量等)减少,减小,降低;(decrease的现在分词) erosion:n.侵蚀,腐蚀; coastal:adj.沿海的;海岸的; availability:n.可用性;有效性;实用性;
Climate change and decreases in sea ice are also altering the underwater soundscape of the Arctic. 气候变化和浮冰的减少 也改变了北极的水下声景。
altering:n.变更;v.变更(alter的现在分词);
What do I mean by soundscape? 声景是什么意思?
Those of us who eavesdrop on the oceans for a living use instruments called hydrophones , which are underwater microphones , and we record ambient noise — the noise all around us. 我们这些靠聆听海洋为生的人 用一种叫做“水听器”的器械 ——水底的麦克风, 来记录周围的噪音 ——围绕着我们的噪音。
eavesdrop:n.屋檐上流下来的水;vi.偷听,窃听; instruments:n.器械;仪器;器具;手段(instrument的复数) hydrophones:n.水诊器;检漏器;水中听音器; microphones:n.[电子]麦克风(microphone的复数);
And the soundscape describes the different contributors to this noise field. 声景描述了这个噪音场 的不同产生来源。
describes:v.描述;形容;把…称为;画出…图形;(describe的第三人称单数) contributors:n.贡献者;参与者;编著者(contributor的复数形式);
What we are hearing on our hydrophones are the very real sounds of climate change. 我们用水听器听到的声音 反映了气候的变迁。
We are hearing these changes from three fronts: from the air, from the water and from land. 我们聆听到的声音来自三方: 空气, 水, 和陆地。
First: air. 第一,空气。
Wind on water creates waves. 水面上的风创造了浪。
These waves make bubbles; the bubbles break, and when they do, they make noise. 这些浪制造泡泡, 泡泡会破裂, 当它们破裂的时候, 它们会发出声音。
bubbles:n.泡; v.起泡; (bubble的第三人称单数和复数)
And this noise is like a hiss or a static in the background. 这声音像是背景中的嘶嘶声和白噪音。
hiss:vi.发出嘘声;发嘘声;n.嘘声;嘶嘶声; static:adj.静止的; n.[物]静电(干扰);
In the Arctic, when it's ice-covered, most of the noise from wind doesn't make it into the water column , because the ice acts as a buffer between the atmosphere and the water. 在被冰雪覆盖的北极, 大多数风声无法穿透到水下, 因为冰是大气和水之间的缓冲层。
column:n.栏目,纵队; buffer:n.[计]缓冲区;缓冲器,[车辆]减震器;vt.缓冲; atmosphere:n.大气;气氛;气压;风格;
This is one of the reasons that the Arctic can have very low ambient noise levels. 这是造成 北极冰面下噪音低的原因之一。
But with decreases in seasonal sea ice, not only is the Arctic now open to this wave noise, but the number of storms and the intensity of storms in the Arctic has been increasing. 但是随着季节性浮冰的减少, 不仅北极水面下能听到这种海浪声了, 而且北极的风暴数量和强度 也在增加。
intensity:n.强度;强烈;[电子]亮度;紧张;
All of this is raising noise levels in a previously quiet ocean. 这些都使得原本安静的海洋变得嘈杂。
previously:adv.先前;以前;
Second: water. 第二,水。
With less seasonal sea ice, subarctic species are moving north, and taking advantage of the new habitat that is created by more open water. 随着季节性浮冰的减少, 亚北极的物种在向北迁徙, 迁徙到新形成的没有结冰的栖息地。
subarctic:adj.亚北极的;亚北极区的;靠近北极的; species:n.[生物]物种;种类; advantage:n.有利条件:优势:优点:
Now, Arctic whales, like this bowhead, they have no dorsal fin, because they have evolved to live and swim in ice-covered waters,and having something sticking off of your back is not very conducive to migrating through ice, and may, in fact, be excluding animals from the ice. 现在,住在北极的鲸鱼,像这个弓头鲸, 它们并没有背鳍, 因为它们已进化并适应了在被冰覆盖的水域里游泳和生活, 背后长东西不利于 在冰中移动, 并且事实上,可能无法在冰区生活。
dorsal:adj.背部的;背的,背侧的; evolved:v.(使)逐渐形成;进化;进化形成;(evolve的过去分词和过去式) conducive:adj.有益的;有助于…的; migrating:v.迁移;迁徙;移居(migrate的现在分词); excluding:prep.不包括; v.不包括;
But now, everywhere we've listened, we're hearing the sounds of fin whales and humpback whales and killer whales, further and further north, and later and later in the season. 但是现在,我们在各地 都有听到长须鲸、座头鲸 和虎鲸的声音, 越来越向北, 季节越来越晚。
humpback:n.驼背;座头鲸;
We are hearing, in essence , an invasion of the Arctic by subarctic species. 本质上,我们听到的是 亚北极物种对北极的入侵。
in essence:本质上;其实;大体上; invasion:n.武装入侵;侵略;侵犯;涌入;干预;
And we don't know what this means. 而且我们不知道这意味这什么。
Will there be competition for food between Arctic and subarctic animals? 北极和亚北极动物会争夺食物吗?
competition:n.竞争;比赛,竞赛;
Might these subarctic species introduce diseases or parasites into the Arctic? 这些亚北极物种会把疾病和寄生虫带到北极吗?
diseases:n.[医]病(disease的复数);[医]疾病;[植保]病害;疾病种类; parasites:n.[基医]寄生虫;[生物]寄生生物(parasite的复数);
And what are the new sounds that they are producing doing to the soundscape underwater? 还有它们产生的声音 会对水底的声景产生什么样的的影响呢?
And third: land. 第三,陆地。
And by land ... 我指的陆地,
I mean people. 其实是人类。
More open water means increased human use of the Arctic. 更多的非结冰水域意味着 人类可以更多地利用北极。
Just this past summer, a massive cruise ship made its way through the Northwest Passage — the once-mythical route between Europe and the Pacific. 就在上个夏天, 一艘巨大邮轮成功通过了西北航道, 这曾是一条欧洲和太平洋之间的神秘航道。
massive:adj.大量的;巨大的,厚重的;魁伟的; cruise:v.巡航;乘船游览;慢速行驶,巡行;猎艳;n.航行;乘船游览; Northwest:adj.西北的;来自西北的;n.西北;adv.在西北;来自西北; route:n.路线;路途;固定线路;途径;v.按某路线发送;
Decreases in sea ice have allowed humans to occupy the Arctic more often. 浮冰的减少让人类能够更多地利用北极。
occupy:v.占据,占领;居住;使忙碌;
It has allowed increases in oil and gas exploration and extraction , the potential for commercial shipping, as well as increased tourism. 这增加了石油和天然气的探索和开采, 增加了商业货物运输的可行性, 以及增加了旅游活动。
exploration:n.探索;勘探;探险;[医]探查术; extraction:n.取出;抽出;拔出;抽出物;出身; potential:n.潜能;可能性;[电]电势;adj.潜在的;可能的;势的; commercial:adj.贸易的;商业的;赢利的;以获利为目的的;n.(电台或电视播放的)广告; as well as:也;和…一样;不但…而且;
And we now know that ship noise increases levels of stress hormones in whales and can disrupt feeding behavior. 我们现在发现船的噪音会提高鲸鱼的压力荷尔蒙, 而且能够扰乱它们的觅食行为。
hormones:n.[生理]激素;荷尔蒙;性激素;荷尔蒙制剂(hormone的复数); disrupt:vt.破坏;使瓦解;使分裂;使中断;使陷于混乱;adj.分裂的,中断的;分散的;
Air guns, which produce loud, low-frequency "whoomps" 气枪,每10到20秒
low-frequency:adj.低频的;低周波的;
every 10 to 20 seconds, changed the swimming and vocal behavior of whales. 产生响亮和低频声响。 改变了鲸鱼游泳和发声的习惯。
vocal:adj.嗓音的;发声的;大声表达的;直言不讳的;n.(乐曲中的)歌唱部分;
And all of these sound sources are decreasing the acoustic space over which Arctic marine mammals can communicate. 所有的这些声源减少了 北极海洋哺乳动物交流的声音空间。
sources:n.来源;出处;起源;根源;原因;v.(从…)获得(source的第三人称单数和复数) acoustic:adj.声学的;音响的;听觉的;n.原声乐器;不用电传音的乐器;
Now, Arctic marine mammals are used to very high levels of noise at certain times of the year. 现在,在每年的某一段时间, 北极海洋哺乳动物习惯于非常多的噪音。
But this is primarily from other animals or from sea ice, and these are the sounds with which they've evolved, and these are sounds that are vital to their very survival . 但是这是由其他动物或者浮冰产生的, 这些声音是它们进化过程中适应的, 而且这些声音对它们的生存很重要。
vital:adj.至关重要的;生死攸关的;有活力的; survival:n.幸存,残存;幸存者,残存物;
These new sounds are loud and they're alien. 而这些新的声音响亮而且陌生。
They might impact the environment in ways that we think we understand, but also in ways that we don't. 它们可能会以我们已知或未知的方式 影响环境。
impact:n.影响;效果;碰撞;冲击力;v.挤入,压紧;撞击;对…产生影响;
Remember, sound is the most important sense for these animals. 记住,声音是这些动物最重要的感知方式,
And not only is the physical habitat of the Arctic changing rapidly,but the acoustic habitat is, too. 不仅北极栖息地的样貌正在飞速改变, 栖息地的声境也在改变。
physical:adj.[物]物理的;身体的;物质的;符合自然法则的;n.体格检查;
It's as if we've plucked these animals up from the quiet countryside and dropped them into a big city in the middle of rush hour . 就好像我们把这些动物从安静的郊区 放到了交通拥堵时候的大城市中央。
plucked:v.摘;拔;拔掉(死禽的毛);弹拨(乐器的弦);(pluck的过去分词和过去式) rush hour:n.交通拥挤时间;高峰时刻;adj.高峰时刻的;
And they can't escape it. 它们无法逃脱。
So what can we do now? 所以,我们能做什么?
We can't decrease wind speeds or keep subarctic animals from migrating north, but we can work on local solutions to reducing human-caused underwater noise. 我们无法减少风速, 或者阻止亚北极动物向北迁徙, 但是我们可以采用局部解决方案, 来减少人为制造的水下噪音。
One of these solutions is to slow down ships that traverse the Arctic, because a slower ship is a quieter ship. 解决方式之一是 放慢穿越北极的船速, 因为船速越慢船的声音越小。
traverse:n.穿过; vt.穿过; vi.横越; adj.横贯的;
We can restrict access in seasons and regions that are important for mating or feeding or migrating. 我们可以在生物交配、觅食和迁徙的重要季节和地区, 限制人类的进入。
restrict:v.限制;约束;阻碍;束缚; regions:n.地区;地域;行政区;左近;(region的复数) mating:n.交尾;交配;v.交配;交尾;使交配;(mate的现在分词)
We can get smarter about quieting ships and find better ways to explore the ocean bottom. 我们可以研究如何让船更安静, 找到更好的探索海底的方式。
explore:v.探索:探测:探险:
And the good news is, there are people working on this right now. 好消息是, 现在已经有人在做这些事情了。
But ultimately , we humans have to do the hard work of reversing or at the very least decelerating human-caused atmospheric changes. 但是最终, 我们人类还要努力 逆转或者至少减慢 人为造成的大气变化。
ultimately:adv.最终;最后;归根结底;终究; reversing:v.颠倒;彻底转变;使完全相反;(reverse的现在分词) decelerating:adj.使减速的;v.减速(decelerate的ing形式); atmospheric:adj.大气的,大气层的;
So, let's return to this idea of a silent world underwater. 所以,让我们回到寂静的水下世界这个说法。
It's entirely possible that many of the whales swimming in the Arctic today, especially long-lived species like the bowhead whale that the Inuits say can live two human lives — 极有可能, 许多现在在北极游泳的鲸鱼 特别是像弓头鲸这样的长生物种 ——因纽特人说它们的生命有可能是人类的两倍
long-lived:adj.长命的;历时长久的;
it's possible that these whales were alive in 1956, when Jacques Cousteau made his film. ——有可能在1956年它们就已经活着了, 即在雅克·库斯托制作这部电影的时候。
And in retrospect , considering all the noise we are creating in the oceans today, perhaps it really was "The Silent World." 回想起来 想想我们现在在海洋中制造的噪音, 也许它当时真的是一个“寂静的世界”。
retrospect:n.回顾,追溯;vi.回顾,追溯;回想;vt.回顾;追忆;
Thank you. 谢谢。
(Applause) (鼓掌)