北冰洋内出现热带浮游生物

时间：2012-07-25 05:30:56

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For the first time, scientists have identified tropical and subtropical species of marine1 protozoa（原生动物） living in the Arctic Ocean. Apparently2, they traveled thousands of miles on Atlantic currents and ended up above Norway with an unusual -- but naturally cyclic -- pulse of warm water, not as a direct result of overall warming climate, say the researchers. On the other hand: arctic waters are warming rapidly, and such pulses are predicted to grow as global climate change causes shifts in long-distance currents. Thus, colleagues wonder if the exotic（外来的） creatures offers a preview of climate-induced changes already overtaking the oceans and land, causing redistributions of species and shifts in ecology. The study, by a team from the United States, Norway and Russia, was just published in the British Journal of Micropalaeontology.

 
The creatures in question are radiolaria（放射虫类） -- microscopic3 one-celled plankton4 that envelop5 themselves in ornate glassy shells and graze on marine algae6, bacteria and other tiny prey7. Different species inhabit characteristic temperature ranges, and their shells coat much of the world's ocean bottoms in a deep ooze8 going back millions of years; thus climate scientists routinely analyze9 layers of them to plot swings in ocean temperatures in the past. The new study looks at where radiolarians are living now.
 
In 2010, a ship operated by the Norwegian Polar Institute netted plankton samples northwest of the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, about midway between the European mainland and the North Pole. When the coauthors analyzed10 the samples, they were startled to find that of the 145 taxa they spotted11, 98 had come from much farther south -- some as far as the tropics. Furthermore, the southern radiolaria were in different sizes and apparently different stages of growth for each species, indicating they were reproducing, despite the harsh conditions. It was the first time since modern arctic oceanographic research began in the early 20th century that researchers had spotted a living population of such creatures in the northern ocean.

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1 marine 77Izo     
adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵
参考例句：
  • 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。
2 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地；表面上，似乎
参考例句：
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
3 microscopic nDrxq     
adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的
参考例句：
  • It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
  • A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。
4 plankton B2IzA     
n.浮游生物
参考例句：
  • Plankton is at the bottom of the marine food chain.浮游生物处于海洋食物链的最底层。
  • The plankton in the sea feeds many kinds of animals. 海的浮游生物成为很多种动物的食物。
5 envelop Momxd     
vt.包，封，遮盖；包围
参考例句：
  • All combine to form a layer of mist to envelop this region.织成一层烟雾又笼罩着这个地区。
  • The dust cloud will envelop the planet within weeks.产生的尘云将会笼罩整个星球长达几周。
6 algae tK6yW     
n.水藻，海藻
参考例句：
  • Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
  • Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。
7 prey g1czH     
n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨
参考例句：
  • Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
  • The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。
8 ooze 7v2y3     
n.软泥，渗出物；vi.渗出，泄漏；vt.慢慢渗出，流露
参考例句：
  • Soon layer of oceanic ooze began to accumulate above the old hard layer.不久后海洋软泥层开始在老的硬地层上堆积。
  • Drip or ooze systems are common for pot watering.滴灌和渗灌系统一般也用于盆栽灌水。
9 analyze RwUzm     
vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)
参考例句：
  • We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
  • The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。
10 analyzed 483f1acae53789fbee273a644fdcda80     
v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析
参考例句：
  • The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 spotted 7FEyj     
adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的
参考例句：
  • The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
  • Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

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