大堡礁35%珊瑚死亡：白化現象持續(雙語)

At least 35% of corals in the northern and central parts of Australia』s Great Barrier Reef have been destroyed by bleaching, Australian scientists say.

　　澳大利亞科學家表示，澳洲大堡礁北部和中部的珊瑚至少有35%已被珊瑚白化現象摧毀。

　　The experts from James Cook University (JCU) say it is the most extreme case of mass bleaching they have ever measured at the World Heritage Site.

　　詹姆斯庫克大學的專家表示，這是他們在大堡礁測量中發現的最嚴重的白化現象。大堡礁已被列入世界自然遺產名錄。

　　Bleaching occurs when warmer water causes coral to weaken and lose the colourful algae that provide oxygen and nutrients.

　　海水溫度變暖，導致為珊瑚提供氧氣和營養來源的共生藻死亡或離開，僅剩下透明的珊瑚蟲的現象，就是珊瑚白化。

　　It has been linked to climate change.

　　珊瑚白化與氣候變化有關。

　　"We found on average, that 35% of the corals are now dead or dying on 84 reefs that we surveyed along the northern and central sections of the Great Barrier Reef, between Townsville and Papua New Guinea," Professor Terry Hughes, the head of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at JCU, said in a statement.

　　詹姆斯庫克大學ARC珊瑚卓越研究中心主任休斯表示，「根據我們對湯斯維爾和巴布亞紐幾內亞之間的大堡礁北部和中部84種珊瑚的調查，我們發現，平均來講，35%的珊瑚現在已死亡或正在死亡」。

　　"This year is the third time in 18 years that the Great Barrier Reef has experienced mass bleaching due to global warming, and the current event is much more extreme than we』ve measured before.」

　　「由於全球變暖，這已是大堡礁在過去18年來第三次出現大規模的珊瑚白化現象。目前的狀況比我們以前所了解的更為極端」。

　　"We』re rapidly running out of time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

　　「減少溫室氣體排放，我們所剩時間已經不多了。」

　　The scientists warned that the recovery of coral cover is expected to take a decade or longer, but it would take much longer to regain the largest and oldest corals that have died.

　　科學家警告說，大堡礁珊瑚恢復生機大概需要十年或更長時間。不過，對那些已死亡的最大和最老的珊瑚群來說，恢復生機要花費更長的時間。

　　Their study was released after months of intensive aerial and underwater surveys.

　　科學家進行了航拍及水下調查，長達數月的集中研究后，他們發布了這項結果。

　　Mass coral bleaching

　　大規模珊瑚白化現象

　　Coral bleaching is caused by rising water temperatures resulting from two natural warm currents

　　珊瑚白化是由於兩個自然暖洋流匯聚導致水溫升高而發生。
It is exacerbated by man-made climate change, as the oceans are absorbing about 93% of the increase in the Earth』s heat.

　　人類導致的氣候變化令珊瑚白化情況更加糟糕，因為地球增加的熱量的93%被大洋所吸收。

　　Bleaching happens when corals under stress drive out the algae known as zooxanthellae that give them colour

　　海水變暖令珊瑚感到壓力，導致為珊瑚提供色素的藻類被排走，從而使珊瑚白化。

　　If normal conditions return, the corals can recover, but it can take decades, and if the stress continues the corals can die

　　如果正常環境得以恢復，珊瑚會恢復生長，但這得花上數十年時間；如果珊瑚生長的壓力持續，珊瑚就會死亡。

　　The current worldwide bleaching episode is predicted to be the worst on record.

　　據預測，目前的大堡礁珊瑚白化現象將是有史以來最糟糕的。