全球地下水枯竭

Earth&Sky

Today – groundwater depletion and how it’s affecting global food production. EarthSky spoke at a recent science meeting to Jay Famiglietti, director of the University of California’s Center for Hydrologic Modeling. He said he’s been using GRACE, a satellite that can trace the movement of water below ground.

今天的话题是地下水资源枯竭及其对全球粮食生产的影响。在最近一次科学大会上，节目组采访了加利福尼亚大学水文模型中心主任杰伊·费明力提。他表示，研究人员已使用人造卫星GRACE来观测地下水动向。

Jay Famiglietti: For the first time, we’ve been able to see the ups and downs in water storage all over the planet.

杰伊·费明力提：通过卫星观测，人们第一次得以清楚地看到水资源在世界各地的动态分布。

Famiglietti says that, locally, he’s discovered that California’s Central Valley has lost alarming rates of groundwater. He attributes this to mostly to drought.

费明力提告诉我们，他发现加州本地中央谷的地下水储量锐减，其中大部分原因在于干旱。

Jay Famiglietti: There is not as much rainfall, so there is not as much groundwater recharge. Global change is having an impact. So we are not getting the snowpack that we used to get.

杰伊·费明力提：由于降雨量减少，地下水得不到相应的补充。全球气候变化也产生了一定影响。因此部分积雪场开始消融。

Famiglietti says the impact is so significant, because California is an agricultural center.

费明力提说，地下水枯竭造成的后果将是致命的，因为加州是农业中心。

Jay Famiglietti: The Central Valley is responsible for 25% of the food that is consumed in the United States. Without a sustainable source of water, it will be difficult to continue to grow food at the rates at which we have been growing it.

杰伊·费明力提：美国25%的粮食产量来自中央谷。如果水资源短缺，加州的粮食产量将很难维持原来的水平。

Famiglietti says he’s found evidence of increasingly parched ground all over the world. For example, he explained that water tables are dropping significantly across northern India, one of the world’s most intensely irrigated regions.

费明力提表示，现在有明显证据表明全球土地干旱面积日益扩大。在印度北部，全球最湿润的灌溉区之一，地下水位已严重下降。

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