美国国家公共电台 NPR--Because of climate change, inland flooding is becoming more common

Because of climate change, inland flooding is becoming more common

Transcript¹

The floods in Missouri and Kentucky this week were both caused by extreme rainfall. Climate change is making such rain more common, and driving dangerous floods across much of the U.S.

ASMA KHALID, HOST:

Climate change is making these types of disasters more and more common. I spoke² with Rebecca Hersher from NPR's climate team, and she explained why destructive³ flooding is happening far from the coastlines.

REBECCA HERSHER, BYLINE⁴: There are many ways that climate change can cause floods. Coastal⁵ floods get a lot of attention, especially when they happen during a hurricane. But actually, inland flooding is more common. And the kind of devastating⁶ heavy rain that we've seen this week is something that climate scientists have predicted for many decades - that, as humans keep burning fossil⁷ fuels, the atmosphere gets hotter, the air holds more moisture and so, when it rains, it rains harder.

KHALID: And has that turned out to be true?

HERSHER: Yeah, the climate models are correct. And actually scientists can observe it in real time now, which is pretty scary. So heavy rain has increased all over the U.S. And in the southeastern U.S., including in Kentucky, it's increased by almost a third.

KHALID: Wow.

HERSHER: Now, that might not sound like a lot, but an extra inch of rain, if you think about it - if that falls in a short period of time, that is how you get a flash flood.

KHALID: So explain that because I do think it is shocking to see some of the damage that all of this rain has caused, particularly in Kentucky, as you mentioned.

HERSHER: Yeah. The danger and the damage comes from moving water, and that can happen in two ways. So first, when a lot of rain is falling in a short period of time, the water doesn't have anywhere to go. It can't soak into the ground, especially if the ground is already saturated⁸. So that causes the water to pool on the surface. And then if there's a hill - even a really small hill, one that you might not even notice - all that water starts to roll downhill. It gathers speed, it gathers power, it can pick up debris⁹. And that is a flash flood. It's really dangerous. It can carry away cars, it can carry away houses, and it can kill people.

KHALID: So how common is that type of flooding? You know, you said it is getting more frequent at this point.

HERSHER: Yeah. And unfortunately, these kinds of floods, they're so frequent that they're a part of life in some places. So there are towns and cities in the U.S. where flash floods happen every year or every other year. That's true in parts of southeast Texas and Louisiana, parts of the Midwest and Appalachia, where this week's floods happened. For example, last summer, there was a flash flood that killed nearly two dozen people in Tennessee. That same area was hit by very heavy rain this year. And it's important to say, this is not just a U.S. problem. It's happening outside the U.S. as well. So heavy rain has caused deadly flash floods in Germany and Belgium, South Africa, India, China and Australia. And that's just in the last year.

KHALID: So what can be done to warn people when a flood is about to happen?

HERSHER: Well, that's actually something the National Weather Service is really focused on. So local offices are watching for signs of heavy rain and then trying to warn people as early as possible if a flash flood is likely. And that's really important because so many of us get our weather warnings now directly on our phones, right? Your phone will flash and you'll get an alert¹⁰ saying there's a flash flood warning for your area. And if that happens, you need to take it extremely seriously. And particularly, don't drive on flooded roads. It's one of the main ways that people die in flash floods. Their cars just get swept away.

KHALID: So, I mean, I've got to wonder, are there ways to make these floods less dangerous, or do we all sort of have to learn to live with this new reality?

HERSHER: There are lots of ways to make them less dangerous. So basically, you slow the water down, give it safe places to go. For example, have less pavement so the water can soak into the ground. You can build retention¹¹ ponds - you know, those low marshy¹² areas for excess water to collect.

KHALID: Right.

HERSHER: And in cities, you can make the pipes bigger. So a lot of U.S. cities were built 50, even 100 years ago. The storm water systems are not built for the heavy rain of today. It's expensive to make those pipes larger, but it's really important if you want to prevent streets from turning into rivers.

KHALID: Rebecca Hersher from NPR's climate team, thanks, as always.

HERSHER: Thanks.

(SOUNDBITE OF SEAS OF YEARS' "MESOPELAGIC TRANSMISSIONS")

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 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 destructive   

adj.破坏（性）的，毁灭（性）的

参考例句：

• In the end,it will be destructive of our whole society.它最终会毁灭我们整个社会。
• It is the most destructive storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的一次风暴。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

6 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

7 fossil   

n.化石，食古不化的人，老顽固

参考例句：

• At this distance of time it is difficult to date the fossil.时间隔得这么久了，很难确定这化石的年代。
• The man is a fossil.那人是个老顽固。

8 saturated   

a.饱和的，充满的

参考例句：

• The continuous rain had saturated the soil. 连绵不断的雨把土地淋了个透。
• a saturated solution of sodium chloride 氯化钠饱和溶液

9 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

10 alert   

adj.机警的，活泼的，机灵的；vt.使...警觉

参考例句：

• Drivers must be on the alert for traffic signals.驾驶员必须密切注意交通信号。
• The rabbIt'seems to be very alert all its life.兔子似乎一生都小心翼翼，十分警觉。

11 retention   

n.保留，保持，保持力，记忆力

参考例句：

• They advocate the retention of our nuclear power plants.他们主张保留我们的核电厂。
• His retention of energy at this hour is really surprising.人们惊叹他在这个时候还能保持如此旺盛的精力。

12 marshy   

adj.沼泽的

参考例句：

• In August 1935,we began our march across the marshy grassland. 1935年8月，我们开始过草地。
• The surrounding land is low and marshy. 周围的地低洼而多沼泽。