VOA标准英语2010年-Deep Water Plume Persists Months After
时间:2019-01-13 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2010年(八)月
The Sentry 1 autonomous 2 underwater vehicle (AUV) aboard the research vessel 3 Endeavor at the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site.
A new report finds that the oil in the Gulf 4 of Mexico still persists in the form of a massive plume 5 that, according to scientists is not going away anytime soon.
More than a month after BP capped its broken oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, experts have differed on how much of the more than four million barrels of spilled crude remains 6 in Gulf waters and where that oil is going.
The U.S. government agencies involved in the cleanup estimated recently that roughly 75 percent of the oil from the leaking well had been skimmed, burned, evaporated or naturally broken down.
Massive plume
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution report, released on-line Thursday in the journal Science, describes the mammoth 7 plume.
Over a 10-day period in late June - two weeks before the damaged seafloor wellhead was successfully capped the researchers measured a massive plume near the wellhead site.
The oil plume was approximately 1,000 meters deep, 35 kilometers long, 200 meters high and 2 kilometers wide two months after the well explosion.
The team deployed 8 an autonomous underwater vehicle, or AUV, and a sampling device tethered by cable to their ship on the surface. Researcher Chris Reddy says what they saw was a forensic 9 snapshot showing that hydrocarbons 10 can move into deep marine 11 ecosystems 12.
C. McIntyre, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Sampling device being lowered from the Endeavor research vessel.
"Our goal was to document a plume and see what its size, shape, distribution and eventually its chemical composition. This is an important aspect because there is very little known about oil in the sub-surface."
The AUV zigzagged 13 its way through the oil plume to measure chemicals and biological activity at various depths.
The chemical analysis reported so far showed no substantial decay in the plume, which suggests that petroleum 14-eating microbes were not significantly breaking down the oil. Researcher Benjamin Van Mooy says that is in part because of water temperature.
"If everything else were equal same bugs 15, same oil, same nutrients 16, same oxygen. We would expect that the bacteria in the deep waters would be 10 times slower, just because it's cooler."
Going nowhere fast
Florida State University oceanographer Ian MacDonald has studied the natural breakdown 17 of spilled crude oil. He says that isn't happening as fast as had been hoped in the Gulf.
In a hearing before Congress Thursday, he disputed government claims that the oil in all its forms in the ocean is biodegrading quickly.
Ben Van Mooy, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Chief Scientist Rich Camilli uses underwater mass spectrometers which are capable of identifying minute quantities of petroleum and other chemical compounds in seawater instantly.
"This oil has already degraded, evaporated and emulsified," said MacDonald. "It is going to be very resistant 18 to further biodegradation. This oil is going to be in the environment for a long time."
Oceanographer MacDonald's testimony 19 is in line with a report released this week by University of Georgia researchers finds that up to 79 percent of the oil that spewed from the broken well remains in the Gulf.
Scientists from Woods Hole hope that their data will help compile a more accurate picture of the deep ocean. They call for a sustained and coordinated 20 research effort to better understand the impact of the spill and how best to respond to world's worst-ever maritime 21 oil disaster.
- They often stood sentry on snowy nights.他们常常在雪夜放哨。
- The sentry challenged anyone approaching the tent.哨兵查问任一接近帐篷的人。
- They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
- This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。
- The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
- You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。
- The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
- There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。
- Her hat was adorned with a plume.她帽子上饰着羽毛。
- He does not plume himself on these achievements.他并不因这些成就而自夸。
- He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
- The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
- You can only undertake mammoth changes if the finances are there.资金到位的情况下方可进行重大变革。
- Building the new railroad will be a mammoth job.修建那条新铁路将是一项巨大工程。
- Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
- The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。
- The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
- The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后,法官于10时30分宣布休庭。
- Hydrocarbons (HC), like carbon monoxide, represent unburned and wasted fuel. 碳氢化合物(HC)像一氧化碳一样,为未燃尽的和被浪费掉的燃料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
- With this restricted frequency range it is not applicable to hydrocarbons. 这个较紧缩的频率范围不适用于烃类。 来自辞典例句
- Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
- When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时,他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
- There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样,从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句
- The office buildings were slightly zigzagged to fit available ground space. 办公大楼为了配合可用的地皮建造得略呈之字形。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- The lightning zigzagged through the church yard. 闪电呈之字形划过教堂的院子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
- The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。
- All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞,都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
- Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
- The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障,但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。
- Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
- They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。
- The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
- He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。
- The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
- The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法