科学美国人60秒--关于珊瑚和气候变化的一些好消息

Some Good News about Corals and Climate Change

A nearly two-year-long study of Hawaiian corals suggests some species may be better equipped to handle warmer, more acidic waters than previously¹ believed.

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Christopher Intagliata: Within a few decades, global temperatures are expected to climb to 1.5 degrees Celsius² above pre-industrial levels. And that's gonna be really bad for corals, according to the latest report out from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Andréa Grottoli: So the recent IPCC report says that up to 1.5 we can expect 10 to 30 percent coral survivorship. And above that, it decreases precipitously.

Intagliata: Andréa Grottoli is a distinguished³ professor at the Ohio State University. Amid the doom⁴ and gloom of the IPCC report, Grottoli has some rare GOOD news. Corals may be more adaptable⁵ to future conditions than we thought.

Her team studied three species of coral from the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. They put them in tanks with either heat stress; more acidic water; or both.

Grottoli: And what really matters in this study is the one where both increases in temperature and ocean acidification, because that's exactly what's happening on reefs now.

Intagliata: Twenty two months later—they assessed the winners and losers. They found that on average, more than half the corals survived. Even after being punished with warmer, more acidic waters—the kind they'd face under two degrees of global warming.

Grottoli: The corals that survived, two of the three species were actually physiologically⁷ performing normally. They were doing more than surviving. They were coping, they'd acclimatized. They were doing well.

Intagliata: The results appear in the journal Scientific Reports. [Rowan H. McLachlan et al, Physiological⁶ acclimatization in Hawaiian corals following a 22-month shift in baseline seawater temperature and pH]

Grottoli says the study provides hope the world's corals may be more resilient than we thought—especially since one of the Hawaiian species they studied is widespread around the planet. But will this good news motivate world leaders to rein⁸ in warming? Well, corals may be able to wait just a little longer to find out.

1 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

2 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

3 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

4 doom   

n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定

参考例句：

• The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
• The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。

5 adaptable   

adj.能适应的，适应性强的，可改编的

参考例句：

• He is an adaptable man and will soon learn the new work.他是个适应性很强的人，很快就将学会这种工作。
• The soil is adaptable to the growth of peanuts.这土壤适宜于花生的生长。

6 physiological   

adj.生理学的，生理学上的

参考例句：

• He bought a physiological book.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• Every individual has a physiological requirement for each nutrient.每个人对每种营养成分都有一种生理上的需要。

7 physiologically   

ad.生理上，在生理学上

参考例句：

• Therefore, the liver and gallbladder cannot be completely separated physiologically and pathologically. 因此，肝胆在生理和病理上不能完全分离。
• Therefore, the liver and gallbladder are closely related physiologically and pathologically. 因此，肝胆在生理和病理上紧密联系。

8 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。