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WASHINGTON, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. National Aeronautics1 and Space Administration (NASA) announced Tuesday that the international Aquarius/SAC-D observatory2 will be launched on June 9, to study interactions between ocean circulation(循环), the water cycle and climate by measuring ocean surface salinity3.
Engineers at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California are performing final tests before mating the satellite to its Delta4 II rocket. The mission is a collaboration5 between NASA and Argentina' s space agency, with participation6 from Brazil, Canada, France and Italy.
In addition to Aquarius, the primary instrument, the observatory carries seven other instruments that will collect environmental data for a wide range of applications, including studies of natural hazards, air quality, land processes and epidemiology.
The mission will make NASA's first space observations of the concentration of dissolved salt at the ocean surface. Aquarius' observations will reveal how salinity variations influence ocean circulation, trace the path of freshwater around our planet, and help drive Earth's climate. The ocean surface constantly exchanges water and heat with Earth's atmosphere. Approximately 80 percent of the global water cycle that moves freshwater from the ocean to the atmosphere to the land and back to the ocean happens over the ocean.
Salinity plays a key role in these exchanges. By tracking changes in ocean surface salinity, Aquarius will monitor variations in the water cycle caused by evaporation7 and precipitation over the ocean, river runoff, the freezing and melting of sea ice. Salinity also makes seawater denser8, causing it to sink, where it becomes part of deep, interconnected ocean currents. This deep ocean "conveyor belt" moves water masses and heat from the tropics to the polar regions, helping9 to regulate Earth's climate.
"Salinity is the glue that bonds two major components10 of Earth' s complex climate system: ocean circulation and the global water cycle," said Aquarius Principal Investigator11 Gary Lagerloef of Earth & Space Research in Seattle in a statement. "Aquarius will map global variations in salinity in unprecedented12 detail, leading to new discoveries that will improve our ability to predict future climate."Aquarius will measure salinity by sensing microwave emissions13 from the water's surface with a radiometer instrument. These emissions can be used to indicate the saltiness of the surface water, after accounting14 for other environmental factors. Salinity levels in the open ocean vary by only about five parts per thousand, and small changes are important. Aquarius uses advanced technologies to detect changes in salinity as small as about two parts per 10,000, equivalent to a pinch (about one-eighth of a teaspoon) of salt in a gallon of water.
Aquarius will map the entire open ocean every seven days for at least three years from 408 miles (657 kilometers) above Earth. Its measurements will produce monthly estimates of ocean surface salinity with a spatial15 resolution of 93 miles (150 kilometers). The data will reveal how salinity changes over time and from one part of the ocean to another.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)
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1
aeronautics
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n.航空术,航空学 | |
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2
observatory
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n.天文台,气象台,瞭望台,观测台 | |
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3
salinity
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n.盐分;咸度;盐浓度;咸性 | |
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delta
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n.(流的)角洲 | |
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5
collaboration
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n.合作,协作;勾结 | |
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6
participation
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n.参与,参加,分享 | |
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7
evaporation
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n.蒸发,消失 | |
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8
denser
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adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的 | |
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helping
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n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的 | |
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10
components
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(机器、设备等的)构成要素,零件,成分; 成分( component的名词复数 ); [物理化学]组分; [数学]分量; (混合物的)组成部分 | |
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11
investigator
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n.研究者,调查者,审查者 | |
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12
unprecedented
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adj.无前例的,新奇的 | |
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13
emissions
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排放物( emission的名词复数 ); 散发物(尤指气体) | |
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14
accounting
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n.会计,会计学,借贷对照表 | |
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15
spatial
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adj.空间的,占据空间的 | |
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