墨西哥灣暖流原理解析：英語精讀講義

The ocean conveyor belt and the Gulf Stream.

海洋輸送帶與墨西哥灣暖流。

Ocean currents have a direct influence on our lives. 片語搭配

洋流對我們的生活有著直接的影響。

They determine our weather, our climate, and much more.

它們決定了我們的天氣、氣候以及更多方面。

The ocean currents and wind systems transport heat from the equator to the poles

洋流和風帶將熱量從赤道輸送到兩極，

and operate like a large engine for the global climate. 慣用語

就像全球氣候的一台巨型引擎。

In the oceans, there are numerous currents.

在海洋中，存在著無數的洋流。

The so-called ocean conveyor belt is very important for our climate. 用詞

所謂的「海洋輸送帶」對我們的氣候非常重要。

This term describes a combination of currents that result in four of the five global oceans exchanging water with each other. 文法

這個詞描述的是多種洋流的組合，正是由於它們，全球五大洋中有四個能夠彼此交換海水。

They form a worldwide circulation system.

它們形成了一個全球性的循環系統。

The conveyor belt is also called the thermohaline circulation, 用詞

這條輸送帶也被稱為溫鹽環流，

with thermo referring to the temperature and haline to the salt content of the water. 文法

其中「溫」指的是溫度，「鹽」指的是海水的鹽度。

Both determine the density of the water.

兩者共同決定了海水的密度。

While the masses of water may be moved in part by wind,

雖然部分水體可能是由風推動的，

primarily the different densities of the global oceans are responsible for their movement. 片語搭配

但全球海洋水體密度的差異才是其流動的首要原因。

Warm water has a lower density and rises,

暖水密度較低，會上升，

while cold water sinks.

而冷水則會下沉。

The water's density also increases with a higher salt content.

海水的密度也會隨著鹽度的升高而增加。

At the equator, the heat from the sun is especially strong,

在赤道，太陽的熱輻射特別強烈，

resulting in a lot of evaporation and thus a rise in the water's salt content. 表達脈絡

導致大量水分蒸發，進而使海水的鹽度升高。

That is where the Gulf Stream begins.

這就是墨西哥灣暖流的起點。

The Gulf Stream is very important for the European climate.

墨西哥灣暖流對歐洲氣候非常重要。

Its length of 10,000 km makes it one of the largest and fastest ocean currents on Earth, 文法

它全長1萬公里，是地球上最大、最快的洋流之一，

and it's very warm.

而且非常溫暖。

At roughly 2 m/s, it brings up to 100 million cubic meters of water per second towards Europe. 用詞

它以大約2公尺/秒的速度，每秒將多達1億立方公尺的海水輸向歐洲。

A constantly blowing wind, the Southeast Trade Wind,

持續吹拂的風——東南信風，

drives warm surface water to the northwest into the Gulf of Mexico, 用詞

將溫暖的表層海水向西北方向吹入墨西哥灣，

where it heats up to 30°C.

在那裡海水會被加熱到30°C。

The turning of the Earth and the west winds then direct the Gulf Stream towards Europe and split it up. 片語動詞

隨後，地球的自轉和西風帶引導著墨西哥灣暖流向歐洲流去並將其分為幾支。

One part flows south, 表達脈絡

一部分向南流，

another east to the Canary Current,

另一部分向東流入加那利洋流，

and a third part flows north,

第三部分向北流，

where it releases a lot of heat into the atmosphere as the North Atlantic Current.

作為北大西洋暖流，在那裡向大氣中釋放大量熱量。

The water becomes colder there.

隨後那裡的海水變冷。

Its salt content and density rise on account of evaporation, 片語搭配

由於蒸發作用，其鹽度和密度上升，

and it drops down between Greenland, Norway, and Iceland.

並在格陵蘭、挪威和冰島之間下沉。

There we also find the largest waterfall on Earth,

在那裡，我們還發現了地球上最大的海底瀑布，

the so-called chimneys. 文化背景

被稱為「海洋煙囪」。

Roughly 15 km wide pillars with water falling up to 4,000 m.

大約15公里寬的巨大水柱，下落深度可達4000公尺。

17 million cubic meters of water per second,

每秒有1700萬立方公尺的海水落下，

or roughly 15 times more water than is carried by all the rivers in the world. 文法

相當於世界上所有河流總水量的15倍左右。

This creates a strong maelstrom,

這產生了一個強大的巨大漩渦，

which constantly pulls in new water and is the reason that the Gulf Stream moves towards Europe. 片語動詞

不斷吸入新的海水，這也是墨西哥灣暖流向歐洲移動的原因。

Countless species use the Gulf Stream as a means of transport on their trips from the Caribbean to northern areas. 片語搭配

無數物種利用墨西哥灣暖流作為從加勒比海到北方海域的旅行交通工具。

But it doesn't just bring us animals. 文法

但它帶給我們的不僅僅是動物。

An enormous quantity of warm air also comes with it.

大量的暖空氣也隨之而來。

In order to produce the same heat, which it brings to the shores of Europe,

為了產生它帶給歐洲海岸的同等熱量，

we would need 1 million nuclear power plants.

我們需要100萬座核電廠。

That's why we also call the Gulf Stream a heat pump. 慣用語

這就是為什麼我們也將墨西哥灣暖流稱為「熱泵」。

Without it, the temperature would be significantly colder here, 文法

如果沒有它，這裡的溫度將會變得更冷，

at least 5 to 10°.

至少下降5到10度。

Instead of lush fields, 文法

歐洲將不會有綠意盎然的田野，

we would have long winters and sparse ice-covered landscapes in Europe.

取而代之的將是漫長的嚴冬和荒涼的冰雪景觀。

In the last few years,

在過去幾年裡，

scientists and pundits in the media have repeatedly expressed the fear that the Gulf Stream could come to a standstill due to climate change. 片語搭配

媒體上的科學家和專家多次表達過擔憂，認為氣候變遷可能會使墨西哥灣暖流停滯。

Because if the polar caps actually melt, 文法

因為如果極地冰蓋真的融化，

the salt content in the water off Greenland would fall,

格陵蘭附近海域的鹽度就會下降，

as would its density. 文法

其密度也會隨之降低。

The North Atlantic Current would no longer be heavy enough, 文法

北大西洋暖流將不再足夠重，

and so it wouldn't sink as usual.

因此它不會像往常一樣下沉。

In the worst case,

在最壞的情況下，

that would bring the Gulf Stream, 片語搭配

這將使墨西哥灣暖流，

our heat pump, to a stop.

我們的「熱泵」，完全停止運作。

Some climate experts also assume that climate change could compensate for this effect. 片語搭配

一些氣候專家也認為，氣候變遷可能會抵消這種影響。

We know that it can be normal for the climate to change

我們知道，氣候的變化可能是正常的現象，

by looking at the development of the Earth over the last few million years.

這可以透過觀察地球過去幾百萬年的發展來得出結論。

There are ice ages and warm periods.

地球有冰河時期，也有溫暖期。

In the last ice age,

在上一個冰河時期，

a gigantic flood of melting water crippled the heat-bringing North Atlantic Current, 用詞

融水的巨大洪流使得帶來熱量的北大西洋暖流陷入癱瘓，

covering the Northern Hemisphere in ice. 文法

導致北半球被冰雪覆蓋。

Scientists have different views on the impact that climate change will have on the global ocean conveyor belt. 片語搭配

對於氣候變遷將對全球海洋輸送帶產生何種影響，科學家們觀點不一。

But one thing is clear. 表達脈絡

但有一點是明確的。

When the climate changes, 文法

當氣候發生變化時，

then the complex system of ocean currents and winds,

那麼洋流和風的複雜系統，

which has remained fairly stable since the last ice age, 文法

這個自上一個冰河時期以來一直保持相對穩定的系統，

will change in ways that we don't yet understand. 表達脈絡

將以我們目前還不了解的方式發生改變。