Dramatic images reveal coral bleaching in Great Barrier Reef 驚人的影像顯現出大堡礁珊瑚白化的情形



(CNN)-New video released on Monday from the World Wildlife Fund reveals coral reef bleaching in Australia's Great Barrier Reef, one of the country's most important tourist sites.

(CNN)-世界自然基金會(World Wildlife Fund)在星期一最新發佈的影片中顯示出澳洲大堡礁珊瑚白化的情形，其為澳洲最重要的觀光景點之一。

The extreme bleaching event, which began several weeks ago near Lizard Island off Australia's northeast coast, has prompted the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to raise its response level to its highest level (3). This allows for greater surveying and monitoring of the fragile reef ecosystem.

珊瑚白化最嚴重的情形發生在蜥蜴島附近、澳洲以北的海岸，使得大堡礁海洋公園管理局(Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority)將其受威脅的程度提高到最高級3級。這需要加強勘查及監測脆弱的珊瑚生態。

WWF spokesperson Richard Leck called it "the worst coral bleaching event ever to hit this most pristine part of the Great Barrier Reef." Driven by ocean temperatures that have been 1-2 degrees Celsius (1.8-3.6° F) above average, the recent coral bleaching event has left "large sections of coral drained of all color and fighting for survival."

世界自然基金會(WWF)的發言人Richard Leck將此稱為「大堡礁有史以來保存最好的部分最嚴重的珊瑚白化」。近期的珊瑚白化事件造成大部分的珊瑚失去鮮豔色彩且極力求生，是因為海水溫度比平均溫度超出攝氏1-2度(華氏1.8-3.6度)的影響。




The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website describes coral bleaching: "When corals are stressed by changes in conditions such as temperature, light, or nutrients, they expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues, causing them to turn completely white."


美國國家海洋暨大氣總署網站描述珊瑚白化：「當珊瑚受到環境改變，例如溫度、燈光或是養分的壓力下，他們會把生存在他們組織裡的共生藻趕走，導致他們變成全白。」


El Niño has likely played a large part in the coral bleaching events this year in the Great Barrier Reef, as well as in Hawaii and Fiji. El Niño is characterized by warmer than average ocean temperatures in the Pacific Ocean and El Niño years frequently contain the worst bleaching in Pacific region reefs.


厄爾尼諾現象在今年大堡礁珊瑚白化的事件裡，似乎也扮演了一個重要的角色，甚至還有夏威夷跟斐濟。太平洋的海水平均溫度暖化是厄爾尼諾現象的特點，厄爾尼諾年經常包含太平洋海域珊瑚的嚴重白化現象。


But coral bleaching is also "the most widespread and conspicuous impact of climate change," according to the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and events like this one in the Great Barrier Reef are effects of climate change that scientists have predicted and feared.


根據聯合國的政府間氣候變化專門委員會表示，但是珊瑚白化也是氣候變化所帶來的最普遍也最明顯的衝擊，以及在大堡礁發生的類似事件，都是科學家所預測也害怕的氣候變遷的衝擊。


Coral reefs are important to ocean ecosystems and continued bleaching events from ocean warming and acidification will damage reef-based fisheries, increase exposure to coastlines from waves and storms. It also will damage economies that depend on ecotourism, such as those in Australia and the Caribbean.


珊瑚礁對海洋生態是很重要的，持續受到海水暖化和酸化的白化現象會破壞珊瑚礁基底的養魚場，再經由風浪的影響，使其增加暴露在海岸線上的機會。他同時也會破壞生態旅遊的經濟，像是澳洲和加勒比海。


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