How big is the ocean? - Scott Gass

海洋有多大？ - Scott Gass

翻译人员: Alan Yang 校对人员: Iris Hu

Imagine yourself standing on a beach,

looking out over the ocean,

waves crashing against the shore,

blue as far as your eyes can see.

想象你站在一片沙滩上

Let it really sink in,

放眼眺望海洋

the sheer scope and size of it all.

海浪拍打着沙滩

Now, ask yourself,

目之所及 一片蔚蓝

"How big is it?

How big is the ocean?"

我们来试着真正感受一下

它的庞大与广阔

First thing, we need to understand

现在 问问你自己

that there really is only one ocean,

它到底有多大

consisting of five component basins that we call

海洋究竟有多大

the Pacific,

the Atlantic,

the Indian,

首先 我们需要明白

the Arctic,

and the Southern.

世界上只有一片汪洋

Each of these five,

while generally referred to as oceans

它由5个部分组成 我们称之为

in and of themselves,

are really and truly a part of

太平洋

大西洋

印度洋

a single, massive body of water,

北冰洋

南冰洋

one ocean,

这5个部分中的每一部分

which defines the very face of planet Earth.

尽管不论面积大小

都被称作大洋

The ocean covers roughly 71% of our planet's surface,

但它们确确实实只是

一个巨大水体的组成部分

some 360 million square kilometers,

万顷汪洋

它覆盖了整个地球表面

an area in excess of the size of 36 U.S.A.'s.

占据了地球表面大约71%的面积

It's such a vast spread,

when viewed from space,

大概有3.6亿平方公里

the ocean is, by far, the dominant feature of our planet.

比36个美国的面积还要大

Speaking of space,

the ocean currently holds over 1.3 billion,

它十分广阔

当人们从太空俯瞰地球时

目前为止 地球最显著的特征的便是海洋

that's billion with a "b",

cubic kilometers of water.

说到太空

Put another way,

现在海洋内存储了约13亿立方米

that's enough water to immerse

the entire United States

under a body of salt water

货真价实的13亿立方米

over 132 kilometers tall,

那么多水

换言之

a height well beyond the reach of the highest clouds

这些水已经足够

将整个美国

and extending deep into the upper atmosphere.

淹没在一片

高达132公里的盐水之中

With all that volume,

the ocean represents 97%

这高度远远超过云层所能到达的最高高度

of Earth's total water content.

并延伸到大气上层

On top of all that,

the ocean contains upwards of 99%

海洋体积庞大

包含了地球上97%的

of the world's biosphere,

水资源

that is, the spaces and places where life exists.

更重要的是

Now let that sink in for a second.

海洋覆盖了全世界将近99%的

The immediate world as we know it,

生物圈

indeed the totality of all the living space

而生物圈正是维系生命之所在

encompassed by the continents themselves,

我们换个角度想一想

all of that represents only 1% of the biosphere.

在我们所知的整个地球上

由大陆提供的

1%!

The ocean is everything else.

全部生存空间

只占据了全部生物圈的1%

So, the ocean is physically massive.

仅仅1%

It's importance to life is practically unparalleled.

剩下的都由海洋包揽了

It also happens to hold

因此 海洋确实巨大无比

the greatest geological features of our planet.

它对于生命的重要性无可比拟

Quickly, here are four of the most notable.

同时它还碰巧拥有

地球上最庞大的地质地貌

The ocean contains the world's largest mountain range,

the mid-ocean ridge.

At roughly 65,000 kilometers long,

长话短说 有4个最明显的例子

this underwater range is some 10 times

海洋内坐落着全世界最大的山脉

longer than the longest mountain chain

中洋脊

found purely on dry land, the Andes.

它长约6万5千公里

Beneath the Denmark Strait exists

这座水下山脉的长度

the world's largest waterfall.

10倍于陆地上已知的最长山脉

安第斯山脉

位于丹麦海峡之下

This massive cataract carries roughly 116 times

有世界上最大的瀑布

more water per second over its edge

than the Congo River's Inga Falls,

它每秒的泄水量

the largest waterfall by volume on land.

The world's tallest mountain is actually found in the ocean,

是陆地上最大瀑布

hiding in plain sight.

刚果河因加瀑布

While 4200 meters of Hawaii's Mauna Kea

的116倍

sit above sea level,

世界上的最高峰也在海底

its sides plummet beneath the waves

for another 5800 meters.

藏匿于看似平凡的外表之下

夏威夷的冒纳凯阿火山

From its snow-covered top

to it's silt-covered bottom, then,

仅仅超出海平面4200米

this Hawaiian mountain is roughly 10,000 meters in height,

但它隐藏于水下的

达5800米

dwarfing tiny Everest's paltry peak

从白雪皑皑的山颠

by well over a kilometer.

到水泽泥泞的山脚

Then, since we're picking on poor Everest,

这座夏威夷高山约有一万米

let's consider the world's deepest canyon,

比珠穆朗玛峰

the Challenger Deep,

existing 11 kilometers below the ocean's surface,

还高出一公里多

既然我们提到了"矮子"珠穆朗玛峰

some six times deeper than the Grand Canyon.

那就再看看世界上最深的峡谷

That's deep enough to sink Mount Everest into

它是深渊挑战者

and still have over 2.1 kilometers of water

位于海平面下11公里

sitting atop its newly submerged peak.

比科罗拉多大峡谷深6倍

这深度足够装入一座珠穆朗玛峰

Put another way, the depth of the Challenger Deep

is roughly the same height

还能让2.1公里深的海水

that commercial airliners travel.

悠游于它的峰顶之上

So, pretty much however you choose to slice it,

the ocean is capital B

换言之 这一深渊挑战者

capital I,

跟民航客机的飞行高度

capital G,

BIG!

大致相同

It defines our planet,

因此 不论你想如何描述海洋

home to the greatest geological features,

它确确实实

comprises the largest living space,

很大

非常大

and accordingly, is home to the greatest numbers

无与伦比的庞大

它塑造了我们的地球

and forms of life on Earth.

让它坐拥世界上最奇绝的地质特征

It is practically incomprehensible in scope.

让它占据着最庞大的生存空间

因此 它是地球上

But it is not so big,

绝大多数生物形态的家园

so vast,

so extraordinary

这真让人难以置信

as to be untouchable.

In fact, with roughly 50% of the world's population

但它还不够大

不够广阔

living within 100 kilometers of the coastline

也不够辽阔

and with most of the remainder

能免疫于人类的干扰

living close enough to lakes, rivers, or swamps,

事实上 世界上大约有一半人口

all of which ultimately lead to the ocean,

生活在海岸线100公里以内的区域

virtually every single person on the planet

而其他大多数人口

has the opportunity to influence the general health

也十分靠近湖泊 河流 或沼泽

and nature of the world ocean.

这些水系最终会与海洋相联系

基本上地球上的每一个人

Evidence of human influence is seen

in every part of the ocean,

都有机会影响到

no matter how deep,

no matter how distant.

海洋的整体状态

The ocean defines our planet,

人类影响力的痕迹

but, in a very real sense,

已经遍布海洋的各处

we define the ocean.

无论深浅

无论远近

海洋塑造了地球

但是 毫无疑问

我们也在塑造着海洋