How big is the ocean? - Scott Gass

海洋有多大？ - 史考特．蓋思 (Scott Gass)

譯者: Cheng An Yang 審譯者: Hao-Wei Chang

Imagine yourself standing on a beach,

looking out over the ocean,

waves crashing against the shore,

blue as far as your eyes can see.

想像站在沙灘上

Let it really sink in,

面向整片海洋

the sheer scope and size of it all.

白浪拍打著海岸

Now, ask yourself,

眼前是無盡的藍

"How big is it?

How big is the ocean?"

讓我們

沉浸在這無邊遼闊

First thing, we need to understand

現在，想想看

that there really is only one ocean,

這到底有多大?

consisting of five component basins that we call

海洋究竟有多大?

the Pacific,

the Atlantic,

the Indian,

首先，我們必須了解

the Arctic,

and the Southern.

實際上，海洋只有一個

Each of these five,

while generally referred to as oceans

是由五個大洋盆地所組成

in and of themselves,

are really and truly a part of

分別為：太平洋

大西洋

印度洋

a single, massive body of water,

北極海

南冰洋

one ocean,

這五大洋中

which defines the very face of planet Earth.

通常我們就通稱為海洋

五大洋本身

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

其實是屬於

一個巨大的水體

some 360 million square kilometers,

一個海洋

就是地球表面的特徵

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

地球表面約 71% 由海洋所覆蓋

It's such a vast spread,

when viewed from space,

相當於 3 億 6 千萬平方公尺

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

也就是 36 個美國的大小

Speaking of space,

the ocean currently holds over 1.3 billion,

海洋相當地廣闊

若從太空中俯視

目前為止，海洋是地球的主要特徵

that's billion with a "b",

cubic kilometers of water.

講到這裡

Put another way,

海洋中，水的體積超過 13 億

that's enough water to immerse

the entire United States

under a body of salt water

就是後面要加 9 個零的億

over 132 kilometers tall,

立方公尺

也就是說

a height well beyond the reach of the highest clouds

這些水可以將

整個美國浸泡在

and extending deep into the upper atmosphere.

超過 132 公里高

的鹽水裡頭

With all that volume,

the ocean represents 97%

這個高度可以穿破雲層

of Earth's total water content.

直達大氣層的最外層

On top of all that,

the ocean contains upwards of 99%

從體積而論

地球上的水

of the world's biosphere,

有 97% 是海水

that is, the spaces and places where life exists.

除此之外

Now let that sink in for a second.

海洋還佔有世界上高達 99%

The immediate world as we know it,

若看生物圈

indeed the totality of all the living space

生物圈就是物種能夠生存的空間

encompassed by the continents themselves,

大部份也是浸在海洋裡

all of that represents only 1% of the biosphere.

我們所知的世界

物種生存環境的總和

1%!

The ocean is everything else.

包含七大洲的陸地

只佔了生物圈的 1%

So, the ocean is physically massive.

1%！

It's importance to life is practically unparalleled.

其他全都是海洋

It also happens to hold

所以海洋不但在體積上很巨大

the greatest geological features of our planet.

對於生命的重要性也無法比擬

Quickly, here are four of the most notable.

此外，它也佔有了

我們星球上最壯觀的地理景象

The ocean contains the world's largest mountain range,

the mid-ocean ridge.

At roughly 65,000 kilometers long,

其中四個最值得關注的景象

this underwater range is some 10 times

世界最大的山脈位於海洋中

longer than the longest mountain chain

中洋脊

found purely on dry land, the Andes.

大約 6 萬 5 千公里長

Beneath the Denmark Strait exists

這水底下的山脈約是

the world's largest waterfall.

水平面上最大的山脈

安地斯山脈的 10 倍

丹麥海峽之下存在著

This massive cataract carries roughly 116 times

世界上最大的瀑布

more water per second over its edge

than the Congo River's Inga Falls,

這個巨大的瀑布每秒鐘

the largest waterfall by volume on land.

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

通過崖邊的水流量

hiding in plain sight.

約是剛果的英加瀑布的 116 倍

While 4200 meters of Hawaii's Mauna Kea

英加瀑布的水流量是陸地上大的

sit above sea level,

世界上最高的山也在海洋裡

its sides plummet beneath the waves

for another 5800 meters.

藏於海平面之下

夏威夷的冒納凱阿火山

From its snow-covered top

to it's silt-covered bottom, then,

海平面上是4200公尺高

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

海平面之下

還有另外的 5800 公尺

dwarfing tiny Everest's paltry peak

從積滿雪的山頂

by well over a kilometer.

到淤泥覆蓋的山腳

Then, since we're picking on poor Everest,

這座位於夏威夷的山高約 1 萬公尺

let's consider the world's deepest canyon,

足足高過珠穆朗瑪峰

the Challenger Deep,

existing 11 kilometers below the ocean's surface,

1000 公尺之多

既然提到了可憐的珠穆朗瑪峰

some six times deeper than the Grand Canyon.

我們再來看看世界上最深的峽谷

That's deep enough to sink Mount Everest into

挑戰者深淵

and still have over 2.1 kilometers of water

深達海平面下 11 公里

sitting atop its newly submerged peak.

比起大峽谷還要深 6 倍

足以在容納整座珠穆朗瑪峰後

Put another way, the depth of the Challenger Deep

is roughly the same height

在其山峰上再裝

that commercial airliners travel.

2.1 公里深的水

So, pretty much however you choose to slice it,

the ocean is capital B

這樣說好了 挑戰者深淵的深度

capital I,

相當於

capital G,

BIG!

商用飛機飛行的高度

It defines our planet,

因此，你差不多可以這樣說

home to the greatest geological features,

海洋就是：超

comprises the largest living space,

級

大

and accordingly, is home to the greatest numbers

超級大！

海洋是地球的特色

and forms of life on Earth.

也藏有壯麗的地質景觀

It is practically incomprehensible in scope.

以及最大的生存空間

因此，它是地球上生物數量最多

But it is not so big,

也是最多種生物的家

so vast,

so extraordinary

在規模上難以比擬

as to be untouchable.

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

但它也不是這麼大

這麼廣闊

living within 100 kilometers of the coastline

那麼特別

and with most of the remainder

那麼遙不可及

living close enough to lakes, rivers, or swamps,

事實上，世界上約 50% 的人口

all of which ultimately lead to the ocean,

居住於海岸線 100 公里之內

virtually every single person on the planet

另外 50% 中的多數人

has the opportunity to influence the general health

居住在最終都與海洋相連的

and nature of the world ocean.

湖泊、河流、或沼澤處附近

事實上，在地球上每一個人

Evidence of human influence is seen

in every part of the ocean,

都有機會去影響

no matter how deep,

no matter how distant.

海洋的狀況

The ocean defines our planet,

人類對海洋影響的證據

but, in a very real sense,

在海洋的每個角落都可見到

we define the ocean.

無論多深

或者距離多遠

海洋形塑我們的星球

但實際上

我們的所為，也影響著海洋