Water Colors(1)
Satellites reveal large-scale changes in the hues of U. S. rivers
A river’s colors hold clues to what flows in its water, from soft-green algae to yellow-brown mud. Human eyes might miss subtle shifts in these shadings, but satellites can detect them—and researchers can use them to track large-scale changes and potentially spot signs of trouble.
一条河流的颜色包含着水中流淌物的线索,例如柔软的绿藻和黄褐色的泥浆。人眼可能会错过这些阴影中的细微变化,但卫星可以检测到出来,而且研究人员可以利用卫星来跟踪大规模变化并发现潜在问题迹象。
A team led by University of Pittsburgh environmental scientist John R. Gardner analyzed 234,727 satellite images, covering 67,000 miles of U.S. rivers over 35 years, for a study published in Geophysical Research Letters. The researchers isolated the main light wavelength each river reflected, transforming shifting colors into grids of numbers. “It’s a very novel approach,” says Carl Legleiter, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist, who was not involved in the study.
由匹兹堡大学环境科学家约翰·R·加德纳(John R. Gardner)带领的团队分析了234,727幅卫星图像,覆盖了过去35年内67,000英里美国河流,之后将该研究发表在《地球物理研究快报》上。研究人员将每条河流反射的主要光波长分离,将不断变化的颜色转换为数字网格。“这是一种十分新颖的方式,”未参与这项研究的美国地质调查局科学家卡尔·勒格莱特(Carl Legleiter)评价道。
Gardner’s group found sediment-laden yellow (56 percent) and algal green (38 percent) dominated the country’s rivers. A third of them had changed color over the past few decades, with the fastest shifts often near sediment-trapping dams. This effect is clear and striking, says llinois State University environmental scientist Catherine O’Reilly, who was not involved in the study but currently collaborates with two of the authors.
加德纳的团队发现,该国河流主要呈富含沉积物的黄色(56%) 和藻绿色(38%)。在过去几十年里,三分之一的河流颜色已经发生变化,变化最快的通常处于沉积物截留大坝附近。利诺伊州立大学环境科学家卡瑟琳·奥莱利(Catherine O’Reilly)称,这种影响是清晰而惊人的,她没有参与这项研究,但目前与其中两位作者合作。
【重点词汇】
shading n.浓淡处理,描影;色差;(绘画的)明暗运用
spot v.看出,认出;弄上污渍 n.斑点,污点;地点,场所;少量
novel a.新奇的,异常的
sediment n.沉积物
laden a.装满的,负载的(原形lade);苦恼的
Satellites reveal large-scale changes in the hues of U. S. rivers
A river’s colors hold clues to what flows in its water, from soft-green algae to yellow-brown mud. Human eyes might miss subtle shifts in these shadings, but satellites can detect them—and researchers can use them to track large-scale changes and potentially spot signs of trouble.
一条河流的颜色包含着水中流淌物的线索,例如柔软的绿藻和黄褐色的泥浆。人眼可能会错过这些阴影中的细微变化,但卫星可以检测到出来,而且研究人员可以利用卫星来跟踪大规模变化并发现潜在问题迹象。
A team led by University of Pittsburgh environmental scientist John R. Gardner analyzed 234,727 satellite images, covering 67,000 miles of U.S. rivers over 35 years, for a study published in Geophysical Research Letters. The researchers isolated the main light wavelength each river reflected, transforming shifting colors into grids of numbers. “It’s a very novel approach,” says Carl Legleiter, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist, who was not involved in the study.
由匹兹堡大学环境科学家约翰·R·加德纳(John R. Gardner)带领的团队分析了234,727幅卫星图像,覆盖了过去35年内67,000英里美国河流,之后将该研究发表在《地球物理研究快报》上。研究人员将每条河流反射的主要光波长分离,将不断变化的颜色转换为数字网格。“这是一种十分新颖的方式,”未参与这项研究的美国地质调查局科学家卡尔·勒格莱特(Carl Legleiter)评价道。
Gardner’s group found sediment-laden yellow (56 percent) and algal green (38 percent) dominated the country’s rivers. A third of them had changed color over the past few decades, with the fastest shifts often near sediment-trapping dams. This effect is clear and striking, says llinois State University environmental scientist Catherine O’Reilly, who was not involved in the study but currently collaborates with two of the authors.
加德纳的团队发现,该国河流主要呈富含沉积物的黄色(56%) 和藻绿色(38%)。在过去几十年里,三分之一的河流颜色已经发生变化,变化最快的通常处于沉积物截留大坝附近。利诺伊州立大学环境科学家卡瑟琳·奥莱利(Catherine O’Reilly)称,这种影响是清晰而惊人的,她没有参与这项研究,但目前与其中两位作者合作。
【重点词汇】
shading n.浓淡处理,描影;色差;(绘画的)明暗运用
spot v.看出,认出;弄上污渍 n.斑点,污点;地点,场所;少量
novel a.新奇的,异常的
sediment n.沉积物
laden a.装满的,负载的(原形lade);苦恼的