Deep Diving Scientists Discover Bubbling CO2 Hotspot

深海潛水科學家發現冒出泡泡的二氧化碳熱點

【摘要2020.3.2.自由】◎劉宜庭

Diving 200 feet under the ocean surface to conduct scientific research can lead to some interesting places. For University of Texas at Austin Professor Bayani Cardenas, it placed him in the middle of a champagne-like environment of bubbling carbon dioxide.

潛到海面下200英尺進行科學研究，能帶領你抵達一些有趣的地點。美國德州大學奧斯汀分校的教授巴亞尼．卡德納斯便因此置身在宛如香檳般、充滿二氧化碳氣泡的環境。

Cardenas discovered the region – which he calls "Soda Springs" – while studying how groundwater from a nearby island could affect the ocean environment of the Verde Island Passage in the Philippines.

卡德納斯發現這個被他稱為「蘇打噴泉」的地點時，正在研究鄰近島嶼的地下水如何影響菲律賓佛得角島通道的海洋環境。

Cardenas said that the high CO2 levels could make Soda Springs an ideal spot for studying how coral reefs may cope with climate change.

卡德納斯說，二氧化碳濃度高的「蘇打噴泉」是研究珊瑚礁如何因應氣候變遷的理想地點。

The scientists measured CO2 concentrations as high as 95,000 parts per million (ppm), more than 200 times the concentration of CO2 found in the atmosphere. The readings range from 60,000 to 95,000 and are potentially the highest ever recorded in nature.

科學家們測得（蘇打噴泉）高達95000ppm（百萬分之一）的二氧化碳濃度，是大氣中二氧化碳濃度的200倍以上。（蘇打噴泉）介於60000至95000（ppm）的讀數，預料是自然界歷來最高的二氧化碳濃度紀錄。

新聞辭典

ocean：名詞，海洋。例句：The volcano vents out the gases through cracks in the ocean floor.（這座火山透過海床的裂隙噴出氣體。）

hotspot：名詞，熱點。例句：The new hotspot "Soda Springs" could have been releasing these bubbles for millennia.（新熱點「蘇打噴泉」釋放出氣泡的時間可能已達千年。）

coral reef：名詞，珊瑚礁。例句：The Verde Island Passage is one of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the world and is home to thriving coral reefs.（佛得角島通道是世界上生物多樣性最高的海洋生態系統之一，也是珊瑚礁的大本營。）