加拿大西部热浪滚滚, 创下17个高温记录(上)

As you might have heard, heat records are breaking all around the world from the Mediterranean to South Asia.

你可能听说过，从地中海到南亚，世界各地都在打破高温记录。

Most recently, records fell in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada.

近期，破纪录高温降临至太平洋西北部和加拿大西部。

Across British Columbia, residents are dealing with a record-breaking heat wave.

在不列颠哥伦比亚省，居民们正在应对创纪录的热浪天气。

Seventeen temperature records fell on Saturday with heat advisories falling across much of Western Canada.

周六，加拿大西部大部分地区都发布了高温预警，创下了17个高温记录。

This is not a usual May. This is not even an abnormally dry May. This is something exceptional.

这个五月不同寻常，甚至都没有出现异常干旱，这很罕见。

A few places saw temperatures in the mid-90s. For context–that’s about 20 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit above normal.

一些地方的气温达到了90多华氏度。这比正常情况高出20到25华氏度。

Today we’re talking about heat. It’s nearly summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and with climate change, today’s hot summers will be among the coolest of the rest of our lives.

今天我们要讨论的是高温。北半球快进入夏季了，随着气候变化，现今的炎炎夏日将是我们一生中最凉爽的夏天之一。

I’m Scientific American’s earth and environment editor, Andrea Thompson.

我是《科学美国人》地球与环境编辑安德里亚·汤普森。

I’m Kelso Harper, a SciAm multimedia editor, and you’re listening to Science, Quickly.

我是《科学美国人》多媒体编辑凯尔索·哈珀，您正在收听的是《科学快播》。

So, Andrea, first things first. How does a heat wave even happen?

安德里亚，先讲重要的，热浪是如何形成的?

Heat waves happen when a high pressure system parks itself over an area for several days.

当一个高压系统在某一地区停留数天时，就会形成热浪。

Under these systems, air sinks, which keeps clouds from forming. And if you don’t have clouds in the sky—that means the sun can really bake the surface.

在高压系统下，空气下沉，云无法形成。如果空中无云，也就意味着太阳可以真正炙烤地面。

Imagine getting into your car after it’s been sitting in the sun, and you get the picture.

想象一下，当你的车在太阳下晒了一段时间后，你再钻进车里，你就会明白了。

Right, and this can be really dangerous. In June of 2021, a particularly strong heat wave in the same area contributed to hundreds of deaths.

没错，这真的很危险。2021年6月，同一地区发生超强热浪，导致数百人遇难。

With climate change, heat waves like this are happening more often, they’re lasting longer and they’re likely to become more intense as time goes on.

随着气候变化，像这样的热浪发生得越来越频繁，持续时间也越来越长，而且随着时间的推移，程度可能也会变得越来越强烈。

And heat records are more likely to be broken and in some cases completely shattered.

高温记录更有可能被打破，在某些情况下会被完美被打破。

Normally, heat records are broken by a few tenths of a degree.

通常情况下，高温纪录只会比此前高出零点几度。

But last week in Canada near Hudson Bay—which is still covered in winter ice—a heat record was broken by a huge 7 degrees Celsius, or more than 12 degrees Fahrenheit.

但上周，在加拿大哈德逊湾附近(此处仍覆盖着冬冰)，高温记录被打破，比此前高出7摄氏度（超过12华氏度）。

The temperature shot up 40 degrees Fahrenheit over the average.

气温比平均水平高出了40华氏度。

But a heat wave doesn’t have to set records to feel miserable.

但热浪并不一定要破记录才会让人感到痛苦。

Especially in places like the Pacific Northwest, where air conditioning isn’t as prevalent and where people are less adjusted to heat.

尤其是在太平洋西北部这样的地方，那里的空调不那么普遍，那里的人们对热的适应能力也没那么好。

And at times of the year—like May—when people aren’t expecting them.

在一年中的某些时候，比如五月，人们并不期待热浪的到来。

Heat waves are also particularly tough on the elderly, young children and people with health conditions like asthma or heart disease.

热浪对老人、幼儿以及患有哮喘或心脏病等疾病的人来说也特别难熬。

And it’s not just the soaring high temperatures of the day that pose a problem. Higher nighttime temperatures mean people don’t have a chance to cool down, particularly if they lack air conditioning.

造成问题的不仅仅有飙升的日间高温，还有夜间高温。这意味着，人们没有机会降温，尤其是在没有空调的情况下。