阿拉斯加海水变暖，数十亿只雪蟹饿死 Billions of snow crabs starve to death

阿拉斯加海水变暖，数十亿只雪蟹饿死 Alaska's seawater is warming, causing billions of snow crabs to starve to death.

In recent years, billions of snow crabs have disappeared from the waters near Alaska in the United States, and scientists have now discovered that the culprit is rising ocean temperatures.

近年来，美国阿拉斯加州附近的海域已经消失了数十亿只雪蟹，而科学家现在发现罪魁祸首是海洋温度上升。

A study by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that a marine heatwave in the eastern Bering Sea resulted in a large number of snow crabs dying of hunger.

美国国家海洋和大气管理局的一项研究发现，白令海东部的海洋热浪导致大量雪蟹死于饥饿。

The study states that snow crabs are cold-water species, with the majority living in areas where the water temperature is below 2 degrees Celsius. Warmer sea water severely disrupts the metabolism of snow crabs and increases their dietary requirements. Because high temperatures have damaged most of the food webs in the Bering Sea, snow crabs find it difficult to find food for survival.

该研究称，雪蟹是冷水物种，绝大多数生活在水温低于2摄氏度的地区。温暖的海水会对雪蟹的新陈代谢造成严重破坏，并增加它们的饮食需求。由于高温破坏了白令海的大部分食物网，雪蟹难以觅食生存。

In addition, the sharp decline in the number of snow crabs has caused severe economic losses to the local economy. Officials from the Alaska Department of Fisheries and Game said that the recovery of snow crab populations will take time, as it takes 7 to 8 years for juvenile crabs to mature into adults and be included in the catch.

此外，雪蟹数量的锐减给当地经济造成了严重损失。阿拉斯加渔猎部官员表示，雪蟹数量的恢复需要时间，幼蟹需要7至8年的时间才能长成成体，然后才能计入可捕捞范畴。

Furthermore, during the recent crabbing season on the US West Coast, another type of crab, the Dungeness crab, also saw a sharp drop in numbers. The cause of their deaths has not yet been determined, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States stated that they are investigating related environmental stress factors such as hypoxia, harmful algal blooms, and changes in water temperature.

此外，在近期的捕捞季节，美国西海岸的另一种螃蟹珍宝蟹的数量也急剧下降。其死亡原因尚未定论，美国国家海洋和大气管理局表示，正在确认相关环境压力因素，如缺氧、有害藻华、水温变化等。

In addition to threats to marine life such as crabs due to climate change, recent research in the US shows that the reproductive capacity of North American birds is also declining.

除了螃蟹等海洋生物受到气候变暖威胁外，美研究显示北美鸟类繁殖力也在下降。

A new study in the United States found that climate change has led to earlier springs on the North American continent, causing many bird species to miss the optimal breeding time each year, resulting in a decrease in the number of chicks.

美国一项新研究发现，气候变暖导致北美大陆的春天开始得越来越早，许多鸟类由于跟不上这种变化而错过每年的最优繁殖时间，导致育雏数量下降。

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) issued a press release on July 3, saying that researchers from the school and cooperating institutions compared the breeding of 41 bird species that live in forests and surrounding areas on the North American continent between 2001 and 2018 with plant phenology.

美国加利福尼亚大学洛杉矶分校7月3日发布新闻公报说，该校及合作机构人员研究了北美大陆41种生活在森林及周边地带的鸣禽，将2001至2018年间这些鸟类的繁殖情况与植物物候进行对比。

Phenology refers to periodic natural phenomena that change with the seasons, including animals, plants, birds, weather, and other factors. The team found that the breeding activity of most bird species deviated from the optimal timing. The related paper has been published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States.

物候是指动物、植物、鸟类、天气等随季节变化的周期性自然现象。团队发现，多数鸟类的繁殖活动偏离了最佳时间。相关论文已发表在新一期美国《国家科学院学报》上。

The data shows that for every one day that plant greening in spring is advanced, the average time for birds to start breeding is only advanced by 0.28 days. Migratory birds are the most affected, as the early arrival of spring shortens the time they prepare for breeding. Only a few species of resident birds can keep up with the pace.

数据显示，春季植物返青时间每提前1天，鸟类开始繁殖活动的时间平均仅提前0.28天，其中候鸟所受影响最大，春季提前使它们为繁殖作准备的时间严重缩水。只有少数几种留鸟能跟上节奏。

It is expected that by the end of this century, global warming will advance spring by about 25 days, while the actual breeding season of these bird species will only be advanced by about 6.75 days, and their reproductive capacity will decrease by about 12%.

预计到本世纪末，气候变暖将使春季提前约25天，而这些鸟类实际繁殖季节仅提前约6.75天，繁殖力下降约12%。

Researchers said that as climate change continues, the mismatch between the breeding time of birds and plant growth will become more common, which may be disastrous for some species. When formulating bird conservation strategies, the impact of this factor needs to be considered. Since the 1970s, bird populations on the North American continent have declined by nearly one-third.

研究人员说，随着气候变暖，鸟类繁殖时间与植物生长不匹配的情况将越来越普遍，对部分物种可能是灾难性的。在制定鸟类保护策略时，需要考虑这一因素的影响。自20世纪70年代以来，北美大陆的鸟类种群已经损失了近三分之一。