VOA慢速英语2019 科学家拟潜入印度洋午夜区 研究千米深海生物（在线收听）

A team of scientists plans to explore a little-known part of the ocean to search for new sea life and to investigate the effects of pollution and climate change.

一组科学家计划探索海洋中一个鲜为人知的区域，以寻找新的海洋生物，并调查污染和气候变化的影响。

The scientists will enter what they call the "Midnight Zone" of the Indian Ocean. It is an area at a depth of about 1,000 meters below the surface where light does not reach but life still thrives. The project is expected to begin on March 16 and to last about five weeks. The scientists aim to explore huge underwater mountains also known as seamounts.

科学家将进入他们所谓的印度洋的“午夜区”。这是地表面以下约1000米深度的区域，虽然光线无法抵达，但是生命仍然很旺盛。该项目预计于3月16日开始，并持续大约5周时间。科学家的目标是探索巨大的水下山脉，也就是所谓的海底山。

The scientists involved in the project are part of Nekton, an ocean research group that works with the University of Oxford in Britain. They are working with the Seychelles' and Maldives' governments in an effort to protect ocean areas.

参与该项目的科学家隶属于自游生物组织，这是跟英国牛津大学合作的一家海洋研究组织。他们正在跟塞舌尔和马尔代夫政府合作保护海洋地区。

Oliver Steeds is the director of the Nekton effort. He told the Associated Press that the area his team will explore is home to many forms of life. "What we do know is that beneath 1,000 meters, there's no light down there, but a lot of animals...are bioluminescent. It's life that glows," he said.

奥利弗·斯蒂德斯是自游生物组织的负责人。他对美联社表示，他的团队将要探索的区域是多种生物的家园。他说：“我们知道在1000米以下没有光线，但是很多动物都会发出生物光。它们是会发光的生物。”

Speaking to AP in Barcelona, Spain, Steeds noted that this team was going into an unknown part of the ocean.

斯蒂德斯在西班牙巴塞罗那接受美联社采访时指出，他的团队将会前往海洋的一处未知区域。

A submarine unlike any other

与众不同的潜水艇

The Nekton scientists will be using one of the most modern deep sea submarines in the world. It is named Limiting Factor.

自游生物组织的科学家将使用世界上最现代化的一艘深海潜水艇。它的名字是“限制因素”号。

Last August, the Limiting Factor completed another project: to dive to the deepest point in each of the world's five oceans. That effort was called the Five Deeps Expedition. The deepest of these dives took the submarine to nearly 11,000 meters below sea level.

去年8月，限制因素号完成了另一个项目：潜入世界五大洋的最深处。这项工作被称为五大深渊探险。这几次潜水中最深的一次将潜水艇带到了海平面以下1万1千米处。

The Limiting Factor is built to withstand the huge pressure that exists in the ocean's deepest places. The compartment for the crew of two people is surrounded by titanium nine centimeters thick. The submarine also carries enough emergency oxygen for up to 96 hours.

限制因素号为抵御海洋最深处存在的巨大压力而建。这个乘员为2人的潜水舱被9厘米厚的钛金属包裹。这艘潜水艇还携带了足够的紧急氧气，可以维持高达96个小时。

Robert McCallum is the leader of the expedition. He said vehicles that can dive deep into the ocean are rare.

罗伯特·麦卡勒姆是这支探险队的负责人。他说能够潜入海底深处的的设备很少。

The scientists will use sensors and mapping technology to identify new species and landforms deep beneath the sea. But, they also want to observe the effects humans have on the deep sea environment. They will be trying to measure the presence of plastic pollution and possible effects of climate change.

科学家将利用传感器和测绘技术来识别海底深处的新物种和地貌。但是他们也想观察人类对深海环境的影响。他们将尝试测量塑料污染的存在以及气候变化的潜在影响。

Limiting Factor crew already have seen evidence that pollution is affecting places considered untouched. In May, they saw a plastic bag at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in the world's oceans.

限制因素号船员已经看到有证据表明污染正在影响人们认为未受污染的地方。去年5月，他们在马里亚纳海沟底部发现了一个塑料袋，这是世界上海洋的最深处。

Dan Laffoley is a marine expert for the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a group based in Switzerland. He said exploration of the Earth's living space is extremely important. He added, "...over 90 percent of that living space is in the ocean and most of that ocean is unexplored."

丹·拉福莱是总部位于瑞士的国际自然保护联盟的海洋专家。他说，探索地球的生存空间极为重要。他还说：“超过90%的生存空间在海洋中，而大部分的海洋尚未开发。”

Laffoley said it is urgent, during a time of change, "...that we get people down there, we get eyes in the ocean and we see what's happening."

拉福莱表示，在变革时代这是当务之急，“我们让人们下到那里，我们盯着大海看看正在发生什么。”

The Nekton scientists will combine their observations with an earlier study of the deep Indian Ocean last year. They plan to present their findings in 2022.

自游生物组织将把他们的观察结果与去年对印度洋深处的早期研究相结合。他们计划在2022年提出他们的发现。