美国国家公共电台 NPR--Here is what scientists are doing to save Florida's coral reef before it's too late

Here is what scientists are doing to save Florida's coral reef before it's too late

Transcript¹

Inside a nondescript warehouse² in Orlando, Fla., filled with 300-gallon aquariums³, a sophisticated LED lighting⁴ system is set on a timer to mimic⁵ the sun and moon cycle of Key West, some 300 miles away.

This space, which has been described as a Noah's Ark for coral, is a key part of the strategy to help the survival of the only barrier reef in the continental⁶ U.S.

The reef is one of the country's most endangered environmental jewels. It is the third-largest barrier reef in the world and stretches more than 350 miles off the Florida coast from the city of Stuart to Dry Tortugas National Park. It's a diverse ecosystem⁸, a tourist attraction and it helps protect the coast from storm surges, providing billions of dollars in economic benefit.

Over the last half-century, the reefs have lost 95% of the coral that once covered them because of development, human activity and climate change. The loss of corals — tiny, ancient marine⁹ animals — has spurred scientists, activists¹⁰ and government officials to form a plan for their long-term survival.

A Noah's Ark for coral

Hundreds of corals from 18 different species were collected in the Florida Keys and brought here, to the Florida Coral Rescue Center, for safekeeping. With near-perfect conditions, the corals have thrived and begun to reproduce.

Most corals spawn¹¹ at night several days after a "full moon" mimicked¹² by the lighting system.

When that happens, Justin Zimmerman, a supervisor¹³ here, says his staff pulls all-nighters, watching the corals. "Their eggs and sperm¹⁴ are buoyant, so they float to the top," he says. "We can collect those, let them fertilize¹⁵ and then will settle the baby corals, the larvae¹⁶ after they develop, on little tiles."

The baby corals increase the genetic¹⁷ diversity of species that are facing myriad¹⁸ threats to their long-term survival. That's why three years ago, SeaWorld, in partnership¹⁹ with Disney and the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida, opened this facility.

A multitude of threats

The most recent threat to the reef has been stony²⁰ coral tissue loss disease, says Andy Bruckner, a researcher with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary²¹. "That probably killed more coral in Florida than any other single event has," he says. "It affects these big boulder²² corals that grow much more slowly and that are more important in terms of building the framework — the structure — these other corals live on."

There is some hope now that the disease has peaked and may subside²³. But the damage it's done is substantial, adding to the devastation²⁴ that's left many vibrant²⁵, colorful reefs now largely gray and lifeless.

Scientists and divers⁷ agree — Florida's coral reefs have declined dramatically since the 1960s and '70s. Bruckner says there's no single smoking gun responsible for the devastation. There are local stresses, like damage done to reefs by boat anchors or irresponsible divers and fishermen. There are regional issues, including poor water quality and overfishing. "And the global stressor," he says, referring to climate change. "That's probably the No. 1 factor that's affecting reefs," he says, and ultimately could be responsible for their demise²⁶ if we don't take steps to address it.

The warming oceans cause thermal²⁷ stress, leading to bleaching²⁸ events and making corals more susceptible²⁹ to disease. Another concern is ocean acidification from the growing amount of carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere.

Critical action

The sharp decline of Florida's barrier reef and the growing threats to its long-term survival have mobilized a broad coalition³⁰ of activists, scientists and government officials.

"These are the only reefs like it we have in the continental United States," says Sarah Fangman, the superintendent³¹ of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which includes nearly all of Florida's reefs. "We don't have a spare Florida reef system. So, we must do something."

For the past three years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric³² Administration has been spearheading a project to restore several of the best-known coral reefs in the Florida Keys. Known as Mission: Iconic Reefs, it's an effort that involves environmental groups, research institutions and government agencies. Now, Fangman is pushing for the adoption³³ of a new set of regulations, a "Restoration Blueprint³⁴" to expand protections for the reefs.

The measures are critical she says, but she's a realist. No matter what steps are taken, it won't be possible now to restore the reefs to the way they used to be. "Those conditions no longer exist," she says. "So, what we need to do is to give our corals a chance in current conditions to thrive and be resilient."

A sense of optimism

Among those closely involved in restoring the coral reefs, there's an almost surprising sense of optimism. Since 2007, a group based in the Florida Keys, the Coral Restoration Foundation, has been working to show it's possible to restore declining reefs and bring them back to vitality³⁵. The group has pioneered the use of underwater offshore³⁶ nurseries where it grows coral. When they're large enough, the new corals are transplanted onto established reefs. So far, more than 200,000 corals have been planted.

In Key Largo³⁷, Mary Doerr was one of several volunteer divers who recently returned from a day transplanting elkhorn corals onto an ailing³⁸ reef. Doerr, a self-described marine biology nerd, says it was great to see the new growth of newly transplanted coral, but the reef is far from healthy. "It definitely doesn't have the richness and diversity of fish," she says, "and it doesn't have sort of the complex branching structures and the real depth of character and structure that a healthy reef has."

The Coral Restoration Foundation's CEO, Scott Winters, says working with other groups, his staff developed a construction plan to rebuild the endangered reefs, beginning with one of the best-known, Carysfort Reef. Winters says there's now more coral on Carysfort than any other time in the last 15 years. "Almost everything you see on Carysfort Reef now is a direct result of our activity to put corals back out there," he says. "And more importantly, they're thriving and sexually reproducing."

Winters says the goal is to bring back the coral populations to a level where they can once again begin rebuilding the reefs on their own. Scientists hope that if they keep reefs healthy and thriving, corals will develop the genetic diversity that may help them continue to grow and to adapt to long-term threats, including climate change.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

3 aquariums   

n.养鱼缸，水族馆( aquarium的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Biotope aquariums represent the natural environments of ornamental fish. 生态鱼缸表现出观赏鱼的自然生活环境。 来自互联网
• There are aquariums in many cities in the world. 世界上好多城市有水族馆。 来自互联网

4 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

5 mimic   

v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人

参考例句：

• A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

6 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

7 divers   

adj.不同的；种种的

参考例句：

• He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
• Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。

8 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

9 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

10 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 spawn   

n.卵，产物，后代，结果；vt.产卵，种菌丝于，产生，造成；vi.产卵，大量生产

参考例句：

• The fish were madly pushing their way upstream to spawn.鱼群为产卵而疯狂地向上游挤进。
• These fish will lay spawn in about one month from now.这些鱼大约一个月内会产卵。

12 mimicked   

v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的过去式和过去分词 )；酷似

参考例句：

• He mimicked her upper-class accent. 他模仿她那上流社会的腔调。 来自辞典例句
• The boy mimicked his father's voice and set everyone off laughing. 男孩模仿他父亲的嗓音，使大家都大笑起来。 来自辞典例句

13 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

14 sperm   

n.精子，精液

参考例句：

• Only one sperm fertilises an egg.只有一个精子使卵子受精。
• In human reproduction,one female egg is usually fertilized by one sperm.在人体生殖过程中，一个精子使一个卵子受精。

15 fertilize   

v.使受精，施肥于，使肥沃

参考例句：

• Fertilizer is a substance put on land to fertilize it.肥料是施在地里使之肥沃的物质。
• Reading will fertilize his vocabulary.阅读会丰富他的词汇。

16 larvae   

n.幼虫

参考例句：

• Larvae are parasitic on sheep.幼虫寄生在绵羊的身上。
• The larvae prey upon small aphids.这种幼虫以小蚜虫为食。

17 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

18 myriad   

adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量

参考例句：

• They offered no solution for all our myriad problems.对于我们数不清的问题他们束手无策。
• I had three weeks to make a myriad of arrangements.我花了三个星期做大量准备工作。

19 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

20 stony   

adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的

参考例句：

• The ground is too dry and stony.这块地太干，而且布满了石头。
• He listened to her story with a stony expression.他带着冷漠的表情听她讲经历。

21 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

22 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

23 subside   

vi.平静，平息；下沉，塌陷，沉降

参考例句：

• The emotional reaction which results from a serious accident takes time to subside.严重事故所引起的情绪化的反应需要时间来平息。
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon.围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。

24 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

26 demise   

n.死亡；v.让渡，遗赠，转让

参考例句：

• He praised the union's aims but predicted its early demise.他赞扬协会的目标，但预期这一协会很快会消亡。
• The war brought about the industry's sudden demise.战争道致这个行业就这么突然垮了。

27 thermal   

adj.热的，由热造成的；保暖的

参考例句：

• They will build another thermal power station.他们要另外建一座热能发电站。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

28 bleaching   

漂白法，漂白

参考例句：

• Moderately weathered rock showed more intense bleaching and fissuring in the feldspars. 中等风化岩石则是指长石有更为强烈的变白现象和裂纹现象。
• Bleaching effects are very strong and show on air photos. 退色效应非常强烈，并且反映在航空象片上。

29 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

30 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

31 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

32 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

33 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

34 blueprint   

n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划

参考例句：

• All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
• The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。

35 vitality   

n.活力，生命力，效力

参考例句：

• He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health.他度假归来之后，身强体壮，充满活力。
• He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。

36 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

37 largo   

n.广板乐章；adj.缓慢的，宽广的；adv.缓慢地，宽广地

参考例句：

• The tempo marking in most cases is andante,adagio,or largo.大多数第一乐章的速度标记是行板、柔板或广板。
• The second movement is a largo.第二乐章是广板乐章。

38 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。