VOA慢速英语: 科学家创建新的海底地图

Scientists Create New Maps of Ocean Floor
科学家创建新的海底地图
We know more about the surface of the planet Mars than we know about what is at the bottom of Earth’s oceans.
对于火星表面，我们了解的知识比对地球海底了解的要多。
Until recently, scientists had mapped only about 20percent of the sea floor. But our knowledge of the deep seas is changing because of information from satellites. Scientists have produced a new map that provides a detailed picture of the oceans. The map is expected to help oceanographers, industry and governments.
直到最近，科学家才绘制了海底面积20%的地图。但是得益于卫星传来的信息，我们对深海的了解也在改变。科学家绘制了一份新的地图，给我们提供海洋详细的画面。这张地图有望能够帮助海洋学家、工业产业和各国政府。
The new map is two times as detailed as the map made 20 years ago. David Sandwell is a geophysics professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California. He and other scientists worked on the mapping project. He says they turned to space to look deeper into the ocean. He spoke to VOA on SKYPE.
这份新地图比20年前的地图详细2倍。大卫·桑德维尔是加利福尼亚大学斯克里普斯海洋学研究所的地理学教授。他和其他的科学家共同参与地图项目的制作。他说他们转向太空来更深入地观察海洋。他再Skype上对VOA说。
“The way we’re doing that is to use a satellite altimeter, a radar to map the topography of the ocean surface. Now that seems sort of strange that you'd map the topography of the ocean surface when you really want to get at the sea floor. But, the ocean surface topography has these bumps and dips due to gravitational effects that mimic what’s on the sea floor.”
“我们使用卫星测高仪、雷达来绘制海洋表面地形图。当你真的想去达到海底时，你才会绘制海洋表面的地形图，这似乎有点奇怪。但是海洋表面地形图的高低起伏归因于模拟海底的重力作用。”
The scientists collected and studied information from two satellites. Some of the data came from the European Space Agency's Cryo-2 satellite. It was placed in Earth’s orbit to watch sea ice. The other satellite is the American space agency’s Jason-1. It is studying the surface of the oceans. Scientists combined the satellite data with images gathered by sonar equipment on ships. Sonar works by sending sound waves through the water. When the sound waves hit an object, its presence is confirmed.
科学家收集的信息和研究材料来自两个卫星发布的消息。一些数据来自欧洲航天局的Cryo2号卫星，它绕地球轨道，用来观测海洋浮冰。另一个卫星是美国航天局的杰森1号，它主要负责海洋表面。科学家把卫星传来的数据和图像通过船上声纳设备相结合。声波定位仪通过向水里发送声音波来工作。当声波触碰到物体时，它的信息就会得到确认。
“That enables us to look at smaller-scale features and also features that are buried by sediments in the ocean basins.”
“这使得我们能够看到小范围内的地形特征，也能够看到海洋盆地沉积物掩埋的东西。”
The new map shows the sea floor as it has never been seen before. It shows thousands of underwater mountains and places where continents pulled apart. It shows where earthquakes were active many years ago. They all are buried deep underneath the ocean floor.
新地图展示给我们从未见过的洋底地形，展示了成千上万的水下山脉和断裂的地方。展示了很多年前活跃的地震带。这些都深深的埋在海底。
In one place, three mountain ridges join at the same area. Huge tectonic plates can be seen clearly there.
有一个地方，三座山脉的山脊在同一片区域结合，在那里可以清晰地看到巨大的版块构造。
“It’s called the Indian Ocean Triple Junction. It’s one of my favorite spots in the ocean because it really displays the theoretical aspects of plate tectonics perfectly. You have three plates -- the African plate, and the Indo-Australian plate and the Antarctic plate -- all connected at this one point in the center of the Indian Ocean.”
“这叫做印度洋海岭，海洋里是我最喜欢的一个地方。因为这个海岭确实完美地展示了版块构造理论。有三大版块——非洲版块、印澳版块和南极板块，这三大板块在印度洋中心结合在一点。”
David Sandwell says the map is a powerful tool for fisheries, those interested in protecting the environment and for oil exploration.
大卫·桑德威尔说这张地图对渔场、那些对环境保护以及对石油开采感兴趣的人来说是个强有力的工具。
“(The) petroleum exploration industry is interested in how to reconnect the continents, bring them back together tectonically so you can map the basins(on) one continental margin -- say, Africa -- and use that to establish where the similar basin would be on the other continental margin in South America.”
石油勘探产业对如何把大陆重新连接起来感兴趣，把他们重新连接到一个地质构造上，这样你就可以在大陆边缘画出盆地，比如说非洲，在南美的其它大陆边缘来建立类似的盆地。
If scientists know that information, they may be able to find oil fields.
如果科学家了解那些信息，他们也许就能够发现油田。
The new data also will help scientists improve their estimates of ocean depths. This information can help ships travel safely and improve military operations and scientific projects worldwide.
新数据同样会帮助科学家提升他们估测海洋深度的能力。这些信息会帮助船只安全航行，提高军事活动能力，以及有助于世界范围内的科学项目研究。
“This new gravity map really provides a reconnaissance tool for planning shipboard surveys. You don’t have to go out with your ship and start looking for something new -- we can target that with the gravity and then go out with the ship and do the high resolution survey to really understand these features.”
“这一新的重力地图确实为舰载测量提供勘察工具。你不需要跟着船出去就能发现一些新的东西。我们可以用重力地图测量目标，然后跟着船外出，做一些高分辨率的勘察，来真正地了解这些特点。”
Mr. Sandwell thinks scientists will make many more discoveries as they examine the new map and the information it provides.
桑德威尔认为科学家在研究新地图的过程中，会有更多的发现。
The work is described in the journal Science.
这篇文章是科学期刊上的内容。
I’m Christopher Cruise.
我是克里斯特弗·克鲁斯。