美国国家公共电台 NPR Hawaii's Volcanic Eruption Draws Scientific Interest

Hawaii's Volcanic¹ Eruption² Draws Scientific Interest

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The images from the volcanic eruption on Hawaii's Big Island are both breathtaking and terrifying. Lava³ is gushing⁴ from cracks in the earth, blasting at times more than 200 feet in the air. For those living in the southeast corner of the Big Island, the eruption is devastating⁵. It's also presenting an unusual opportunity for scientists. NPR's Nathan Rott reports.

NATHAN ROTT, BYLINE⁶: Every day, night and minute since this major eruption started, scientists have been tracking its progress. Drones buzz over the rivers of lava, blinking red and green at night against the creamsicled glow on the rising smoke. Sensors⁷ and monitors record every earthquake and eruption, and teams of volcanologists are out on foot 24 hours a day, recording⁸ gas levels, lava speeds, fountain heights and whatever other data they can get. Unfortunately they don't let bumbling reporters join them in the field, but they will take a recorder.

(SOUNDBITE OF FROGS CROAKING)

ALEXA VAN EATON: We're here at the margin⁹ of the 'a'a flow advancing from fissures¹⁰ 7 and 21 towards the northwest.

ROTT: This is Dr. Alexa Van Eaton, a physical volcanologist who's usually stationed in Oregon at Cascades¹¹ Volcano Observatory¹². She's standing¹³ less than a foot away from a lava flow, recording its speed and behavior. But what strikes her is the sound.

VAN EATON: You can hear, first of all, the coqui frogs in the background. You can hear the clinkering of the lava, which really does sound like breaking glass.

ROTT: That sound clinkering is actually a technical term. It's the barely audible sound and process of lava breaking.

VAN EATON: As a volcanologist, you learn about this term clinker. And for me, it hadn't really sunk in that that's what it actually sounds like. It's clinkering. It's onomatopoeia.

ROTT: This is Van Eaton later outside a crash pad of sorts where she and other volcanologists from all around the country are staying here on the Big Island. She is very, very excited about this opportunity, as are the others. As one scientist put it, eruptions¹⁴ like this are a window into the inner workings of our planet.

VAN EATON: This is a once-in-a-lifetime process to really be a part of.

ROTT: But the reality of what this volcano is doing to people, their homes and property is not lost on any of the scientists here. Brett Walker is a Ph.D. student from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The other night, she was out collecting lava samples.

BRETT WALKER: So as excited as I was to collect this fresh molten piece of lava, I was collecting it on the property of my friend's house, whose house was burning down. So it's just this complete mix of excitedness, happiness and sadness and devastation¹⁵ really.

ROTT: Wendy Stovall, a volcanologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, says all of the data they're collecting here will drive research for years. It's a generational event that will define the field like Mount St. Helens did in the '80s, helping¹⁶ scientists better understand how volcanoes work all over the world.

WENDY STOVALL: And that will hopefully inform land use planning, emergency preparedness and keep people's lives from being impacted so heavily like they have during this eruption.

ROTT: That's the reason Natalia Deligne has been watching the eruption on TV during her lunch breaks. She's a volcanic hazard and risk modeler in New Zealand. We talked over Skype.

NATALIA DELIGNE: Our largest city, Auckland, is built on top of a volcanic field. And so the hazards and the impacts we're observing in Kilauea - we can imagine it happening here.

ROTT: And she's not alone. Scientists across the globe are watching Kilauea - in Costa Rica, Japan, Iceland and others - hoping to learn and prepare for the next eruption. Nathan Rott, NPR News, Hilo, Hawaii.

1 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• 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。

2 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

3 lava   

n.熔岩，火山岩

参考例句：

• The lava flowed down the sides of the volcano.熔岩沿火山坡面涌流而下。
• His anger spilled out like lava.他的愤怒像火山爆发似的迸发出来。

4 gushing   

adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话

参考例句：

• blood gushing from a wound 从伤口冒出的血
• The young mother was gushing over a baby. 那位年轻的母亲正喋喋不休地和婴儿说话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 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。

7 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

8 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

9 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

10 fissures   

n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 )；裂伤；分歧；分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Rising molten rock flows out on the ocean floor and caps the fissures, trapping the water. 上升熔岩流到海底并堵住了裂隙，结果把海水封在里面。 来自辞典例句
• The French have held two colloquia and an international symposium on rock fissures. 法国已经开了两次岩石裂缝方面的报告会和一个国际会议。 来自辞典例句

11 cascades   

倾泻( cascade的名词复数 )； 小瀑布（尤指一连串瀑布中的一支）； 瀑布状物； 倾泻（或涌出）的东西

参考例句：

• The river fell in a series of cascades down towards the lake. 河形成阶梯状瀑布泻入湖中。
• Turning into the sun, he began the long, winding drive through the Cascades. 现在他朝着太阳驶去，开始了穿越喀斯喀特山脉的漫长而曲折的路程。 来自英汉文学 - 廊桥遗梦

12 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

13 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

14 eruptions   

n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year. 今年火山爆发了好几次。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Over 200 people have been killed by volcanic eruptions. 火山喷发已导致200多人丧生。 来自辞典例句

15 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》

16 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。