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北极下起“塑料雪”!人间最后一片净土也面临威胁……

2019-08-24来源:和谐英语

遥远的北极,洁白又神秘,一直被视为人类尚未“染指”的人间净土。然而,这片稀罕的美好如今也面临着塑料污染的威胁。

 根据外媒报道,科学家在北极积雪中发现了大量微塑料。

"Substantial" amounts of plastic fragments and fibers are landing atop ice floes in the Fram Strait—an unpopulated expanse of ocean between Greenland and the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard—reports the study, published in Science Advances.

《科学进展》杂志发布的研究报告称,大量的塑料碎片和纤维落在弗拉姆海峡的浮冰上。弗拉姆海峡是格陵兰岛和挪威北极斯瓦尔巴特群岛之间的一片无人居住的广阔海域。

 由德国和瑞士科研人员组成的研究队伍发现,在靠近弗拉姆海峡中央的某处,大约每964克雪样本中就含有14000个塑料颗粒,所有样本的平均值则为1800个。

 虽然相比德国市区和阿尔卑斯山脉积雪来说,北极地区的微塑料含量相对较低,但仍然构成了污染。

但研究发现塑料污染不仅在表面,更渗透到了北极冰芯。

近期,美国研究团队在北极钻取的冰芯中,也发现了大量微塑料。

Tiny pieces of plastic have been found in ice cores drilled in the Arctic by a US-led team of scientists, underscoring the threat the growing form of pollution poses to marine life in even the remotest waters on the planet.

美国领导的一个研究团队在北极钻取的冰芯中,发现了大量微塑料,即使是地球上最偏远的水域,也难逃塑料污染的威胁。

marine [mə'rin] adj.海的;海产的

 北极的塑料从哪儿来?

寒冷的北极人迹罕至,那么,塑料是如何到达的呢?

研究人员认为,微塑料会随风飘散,在大气层中长距离传输,之后这些颗粒通过降水,尤其是降雪,被“排出”大气层。

The researchers think microplastics are being blown about by winds and then—through mechanisms which are not fully understood—transported long distances through the atmosphere. The particles are then "washed" out of the atmosphere through precipitation, particularly snow.

 此前,研究小组在中国东莞、伊朗德黑兰和法国巴黎的大气沉降物中也发现了塑料。

当然,污染的具体源头还存在许多可能性,尚无法完全确定。

The researchers assume that some of the contamination may have come from ships grinding against the ice. But they also speculate that some may have come off wind turbines.

研究人员推测,一些污染可能是由船只在冰面上摩擦造成的,但他们也推测其中一些可能来自风力涡轮机。

contamination [kənˌtæmɪ'neɪʃən] n.污染;污秽

turbine ['tɜr.baɪn] n.汽轮机;涡轮机

 人类每周摄入微塑料的量=一张信用卡

微塑料是任何长度小于5毫米的塑料碎片。

 Microplastics are not a specific kind of plastic, but rather any type of plastic fragment that is less than 5 mm in length. They enter natural ecosystems from a variety of sources, including cosmetics, clothing, and industrial processes.

微塑料不是一种特殊的塑料,而是任何长度小于5毫米的塑料碎片,它们通过各种来源进入自然生态系统,包括化妆品、服装和工业过程。

ecosystem ['ekoʊ.sɪstəm] n.生态系统

 

不仅是自然界,人类在生活中也会摄入大量微塑料。

有研究指出,从全球范围来看,我们每周平均摄入5克(微)塑料,相当于一张信用卡。

Globally, we are ingesting an average of 5 grams of plastic every week, the equivalent of a credit card.

其中,饮用水是人类微塑料摄入的最大来源。

It found that the average person consumes as many as 1,769 particles of plastic every week just by drinking water—bottled or from the tap.

研究发现,仅通过饮用瓶装水或自来水,人类平均每周就会摄入1769个塑料微粒。

 虽然现有研究仍然无法确定微塑料会对人体会造成什么危害,但微塑料的大量存在仍然值得引起我们的警惕。

Plastic is not a particularly harmful material, however there is the potential that it does significant harm. Further research is needed into the impact of long-term plastic exposure. But if microplastics are shown to damage human health, it will be very difficult to remove them from the environment.

塑料并不是一种非常有害的材料,但是它有可能造成严重的危害。塑料长期暴露在环境中产生的影响还需进一步研究,但是如果微塑料被证明会损害人类健康,那么将之从环境中去绝非易事。

 塑料是人类社会文明的产物,但塑料污染给自然环境造成的威胁越来越大。

北极地区出现大量微塑料同样需要引起我们的重视,人类生产生活造成的污染已经开始影响这一片遥远的人间圣地。

The discovery is especially disturbing because, according to the study, "the Arctic is still widely conceived as one of the last pristine environments on the globe."

这一发现令人非常不安,因为根据研究,“北极仍然被广泛认为是地球上最后的原始环境之一。”

pristine ['prɪ.stin] adj.崭新的;未开发的;太古的