What’s so great about the Great Lakes? - Cheri Dobbs and Jennifer Gabrys

譯者: Songzhe Gao 審譯者: Yifei XUE

What's so great about the Great Lakes?

五大湖有何偉大之處？

They're known as America's inland seas.

它們有美國內海之稱

The North American Great Lakes

五大湖包括休倫湖、安大略湖 密西根湖、伊利湖和蘇必略湖

Huron,

Ontario,

Michigan,

Erie,

and Superior

are so massive that they border eight states

它們非常大，面積橫跨八個州

and contain 23 quadrillion liters of water.

蓄有 2 萬 3 千兆公升的淡水

足以淹沒美國國土 3 公尺深

That's enough to cover the land area of the contiguous United States

three meters deep.

These vast bodies of water span forest,

這些水域橫跨森林 [蘇必略湖, 水彩階梯懸崖]

草原 [密西根湖, 小貂角燈塔]

grassland,

and wetland habitats,

和濕地棲息地 [威斯康辛州, 瑪德琳島]

supporting a region that's home to over 3,500 species.

超過 3500 種生物 以此生態區為家

But how did such a vast and unique geological feature come to be?

但是五大湖廣闊奇特的地貌 是怎麼形成的呢？

The story begins near the end of the last ice age over 10,000 years ago,

故事要從一萬年前 第四紀冰河時期末期開始說起

a time when the climate was warming

此時的地球氣溫開始上升

and the glaciers that cloaked the Earth's surface began their slow retreat.

原本覆蓋在地表的冰河 開始緩緩後退

厚重的冰河鑿出一系列的盆地

These immense ice sheets carved out a series of basins.

Those basins filled with water as the ice began to melt,

冰河融化後的水積滿了盆地

creating the world's largest area of freshwater lakes.

形成全球最大型的淡水湖區

隨著時間推移 河道開始連接起盆地

Over time, channels developed between these basins,

and water began to flow in an ongoing exchange

湖水便開始持續地在湖之間流動

that persists to this day.

時至今日，這些互連的五大湖

In fact, today, the interconnected Great Lakes

含有百分之 20 的地表水資源

contain almost 20% of the world's supply of fresh surface water.

湖水從蘇必略湖開始漫長的旅行

The water's journey begins in the far north of Lake Superior,

which is the deepest, coldest, and clearest of the lakes,

五湖當中最深、最冷 也是最清澈的湖

擁有五湖一半的淡水

containing half the system's water.

Lake Superior sinks to depths of 406 meters,

蘇必略湖深達 406 公尺

creating a unique and diverse ecosystem that includes more that 80 fish species.

成為養育著 80 多種魚類的 多樣生態系統

A given drop of water spends on average 200 years in this lake

一滴水會在蘇必略湖 平均待上 200 年

before flowing into Lake Michigan or Lake Huron.

才會流往密西根湖和休倫湖

這兩座湖由於麥基諾水道連接 基本上可視為一座湖

Linked by the Straits of Mackinac, these two lakes are technically one.

To the west lies Lake Michigan,

位於西方的密西根湖

the third largest of the lakes by surface area.

是五湖面積第三大的湖

Water slowly moves through its cul-de-sac shape

當水流經死巷形狀般的湖

and encounters the world's largest freshwater dunes,

就會看到世界上最大的淡水沙丘 [睡熊沙丘]

many wildlife species,

多樣性的物種 [笛鴴]

and unique fossilized coral.

和特殊的珊瑚化石 [佩托斯基石]

To the east is Lake Huron, which has the longest shoreline.

座落東邊的是 擁有最長湖岸線的休倫湖

此湖的人口稀少，但覆蓋著許多森林

It's sparsely populated, but heavily forested,

including 7,000-year-old petrified trees.

包括已經 7000 年的矽化木

Below them, water continues to flow southeastwards

湖水繼續往東南方流

從休倫湖到伊利湖

from Lake Huron into Lake Erie.

This lake's status as the warmest and shallowest of the five

伊利湖是水溫最暖、深度最淺的湖

has ensured an abundance of animal life, including millions of migrating birds.

孕育了非常多樣的物種 包括數百萬隻候鳥

Finally, the water reaches its last stop by dramatically plunging

最後，湖水到達最後一站

從 50 公尺高的尼加拉瓜瀑布 戲劇化地落入安大略湖

more than 50 meters down the thundering Niagara Falls

into Lake Ontario, the smallest lake by surface area.

五湖面積最小的一座 [ 19010.51 km² ]

From there, some of this well-traveled water enters the St. Lawrence River,

遊歷甚廣的湖水流進聖羅倫斯河

eventually reaching the Atlantic Ocean.

最後進入大西洋

五大湖除了是世界奇觀

In addition to being a natural wonder,

不停流動的湖水也帶來不少好處

the perpetually flowing Great Lakes bring us multiple benefits.

他們是天然的濾水器

They provide natural water filtration,

flood control,

防洪河堤

and nutrients cycling.

和提供營養循環

By moving water across more than 3,200 kilometers,

湖水流動超過 3200 公里

the Great Lakes also provide drinking water for upward of 40 million people

它們提供 4000 多萬人的飲水

and 212 billion liters a day for the industries and farms

給位於湖畔的產業每天 2120 億公升的工業及農業用水

that line their banks.

But our dependence on the system is having a range of negative impacts, too.

但是人類對五大湖的依賴 也帶來不少負面影響

湖畔的棲地因為人口遽增而減少

The Great Lakes coastal habitats are being degraded and increasingly populated,

exposing the once pristine waters

原本純淨的湖水

to industrial, urban, and agricultural pollutants.

受到工業、都市，以及農業的汙染

因為每年只有不到 1% 的湖水會離開五大湖

Because less than 1% of the water leaves the Lake's system annually,

decades-old pollutants still lurk in its waters.

幾十年前的汙染物仍累積在湖水裡

Humans have also inadvertently introduced

人類也不慎地

more than 100 non-native and invasive species into the lakes,

將 100 多種外來種 和入侵物種帶入五大湖

such as zebra and quagga mussels, and sea lampreys

例如斑馬貽貝、白氏斑紋殼菜蛤

以及海七鰓鰻

that have decimated some indigenous fish populations.

牠們將一些當地魚種殘殺殆盡

On a larger scale, climate change is causing the waters to warm,

更廣地說，氣候變遷使得湖水變暖

thus reducing water levels and changing the distribution of aquatic life.

水位因此降低 改變了水生物種的分佈

Luckily, in recent years, governments have started to recognize the immense value

所幸近幾年來，政府已經發覺 這些天然資源的重要性

of this natural resource.

Partnerships between the United States and Canada are underway to reduce pollution,

美國與加拿大開始合作 實行減少污染

protect coastal habitats,

保護湖畔棲地

and halt the spread of invasive species.

並阻止外來種擴張的政策

Protecting something as massive as the Great Lakes system

為了保護龐大的五大湖生態

will require the collaboration of many organizations,

將需要許多組織的互相合作

but the effort is critical

如果我們能保護這片奇蹟般的 內陸海洋，就會得到更多的收穫

if we can preserve the wonder of this flowing inland sea.