How human noise affects ocean habitats | Kate Stafford

翻译人员: Conway Ye 校对人员: cookie fu

In 1956, a documentary by Jacques Cousteau won

1956年，雅克·库斯托的一部纪录片

both the Palme d'Or and an Oscar award.

获得了金棕榈奖和奥斯卡奖。

This film was called, "Le Monde Du Silence,"

这部影片被称为《Le Monde Du Silence》，

or, "The Silent World."

或，《寂静的世界》。

The premise of the title was that the underwater world was a quiet world.

这个片名表明水下世界是个寂静的世界。

We now know, 60 years later,

60年后，我们终于知道，

that the underwater world is anything but silent.

水下世界一点都不安静。

Although the sounds are inaudible above water

虽然在水面上听不到水下的声音，

depending on where you are and the time of year,

不过这也取决于你所在的位置和时间。

the underwater soundscape can be as noisy as any jungle or rainforest.

其实，水下世界可以像丛林和雨林一样嘈杂。

Invertebrates like snapping shrimp, fish and marine mammals

像鼓虾一样的无脊椎动物、鱼和海洋哺乳动物

all use sound.

都会产生声音。

They use sound to study their habitat,

它们用声音来了解它们的栖息地，

to keep in communication with each other,

来向对方传递信息，

to navigate,

来导航，

to detect predators and prey.

来探测捕食者和猎物。

They also use sound by listening to know something about their environment.

它们还运用声音来了解它们的环境。

Take, for an example, the Arctic.

举个例子，北极，

It's considered a vast, inhospitable place,

它被看作是一个辽阔的不适合居住的地方，

sometimes described as a desert,

有的时候它被描述成沙漠，

because it is so cold and so remote

因为它太寒冷和太遥远了，

and ice-covered for much of the year.

并且常年被冰覆盖。

And despite this,

尽管这样，

there is no place on Earth that I would rather be than the Arctic,

在地球上，我最愿意呆在北极，

especially as days lengthen and spring comes.

特别是当白天变长，春天到来的时候。

To me, the Arctic really embodies this disconnect

对我来说，北极真正体现了

between what we see on the surface and what's going on underwater.

水面上所见和水面下所发生的截然不同。

You can look out across the ice -- all white and blue and cold --

你在水面上眺望冰盖， 一片白色和蓝色，十分寒冷，

and see nothing.

什么都看不到。

But if you could hear underwater,

但是如果你能听到水下对的声音

the sounds you would hear would at first amaze

你先会惊奇，

and then delight you.

然后会开心。

And while your eyes are seeing nothing for kilometers but ice,

当你的眼睛只看到连绵几千米的冰雪，

your ears are telling you that out there are bowhead and beluga whales,

你的耳朵却在告诉你水底有弓头鲸和白鲸,

walrus and bearded seals.

海象和髯海豹。

The ice, too, makes sounds.

冰也会产生声音，

It screeches and cracks and pops and groans,

当温度、洋流或者风改变的时候， 它们发生碰撞和摩擦，

as it collides and rubs when temperature or currents or winds change.

产生嘎吱、爆裂等声音。

And under 100 percent sea ice in the dead of winter,

还有，在严冬季节全冰覆盖下，

bowhead whales are singing.

弓头鲸在唱歌。

And you would never expect that,

超乎我们的想象，

because we humans,

我们人类，

we tend to be very visual animals.

更多的是视觉动物。

For most of us, but not all,

对我们的大多数来说（并不是所有人），

our sense of sight is how we navigate our world.

我们的视觉指引我们的方向，

For marine mammals that live underwater,

然而对于住在海底的海洋哺乳动物，

where chemical cues and light transmit poorly,

因为水下化学信号和光的传播都非常弱，

sound is the sense by which they see.

声音就是它们的向导。

And sound transmits very well underwater,

而且声音在水下可以很好地传播，

much better than it does in air,

比在空气中要好很多，

so signals can be heard over great distances.

所以信号能传播到很远的距离。

In the Arctic, this is especially important,

在北极，这至关重要，

because not only do Arctic marine mammals have to hear each other,

不仅因为北极的 哺乳动物们需要听到同伴的声音，

but they also have to listen for cues in the environment

它们还需要通过聆听周围的环境，

that might indicate heavy ice ahead or open water.

来探测前方是厚冰层还是开放的水域。

Remember, although they spend most of their lives underwater,

记住，虽然它们大多数时间都住在水下，

they are mammals,

但它们是哺乳动物，

and so they have to surface to breathe.

所以它们需要到水面呼吸。

So they might listen for thin ice or no ice,

所以它们需要聆听薄冰或无冰的位置，

or listen for echoes off nearby ice.

或者聆听附近冰层的回声。

Arctic marine mammals live in a rich and varied underwater soundscape.

北极的海洋哺乳动物住在一个丰富多样的水下声景中。

In the spring,

在春天，

it can be a cacophony of sound.

是一片混杂的声音。

(Marine mammal sounds)

（海洋哺乳动物的声音）

But when the ice is frozen solid,

但是当水结成冰，

and there are no big temperature shifts or current changes,

并且没有剧烈的气温变化或者洋流变化时，

the underwater Arctic has some of the lowest ambient noise levels

北极水下的环境声级

of the world's oceans.

是全世界海洋中最低的。

But this is changing.

但是这种状况正在改变。

This is primarily due to a decrease in seasonal sea ice,

主要是因为季节性浮冰的减少，

which is a direct result of human greenhouse gas emissions.

人类温室气体排放的直接导致了这种减少。

We are, in effect, with climate change,

伴随着气候变化，事实上我们

conducting a completely uncontrolled experiment with our planet.

正在我们的星球 实施一场完全无法控制的实验。

Over the past 30 years,

在过去的30年中，

areas of the Arctic have seen decreases in seasonal sea ice

北极的季节性浮冰到处都在减少，

from anywhere from six weeks to four months.

减少时间从六周到四个月不等。

This decrease in sea ice is sometimes referred to as an increase

这种减少某种程度上

也就是非冰期的增加。

in the open water season.

That is the time of year when the Arctic is navigable to vessels.

也意味着北极可行船的时间变长了。

And not only is the extent of ice changing,

而且不仅冰的覆盖区减小了，

but the age and the width of ice is, too.

冰龄和冰宽也改变了。

Now, you may well have heard

你可能听说过

that a decrease in seasonal sea ice is causing a loss of habitat

季节性浮冰的减少造成了

使得依赖于冰的动物丧失了栖息地，

for animals that rely on sea ice,

such as ice seals, or walrus, or polar bears.

比如海狗、海狮和北极熊。

Decreasing sea ice is also causing increased erosion along coastal villages,

季节性浮冰的减少还 增加了沿岸岸村庄的水土流失，

and changing prey availability for marine birds and mammals.

海鸟和哺乳动物的猎物也变少了。

Climate change and decreases in sea ice

气候变化和浮冰的减少

are also altering the underwater soundscape of the Arctic.

也改变了北极的水下声景。

What do I mean by soundscape?

声景是什么意思？

Those of us who eavesdrop on the oceans for a living

我们这些靠聆听海洋为生的人

use instruments called hydrophones,

用一种叫做“水听器”的器械

which are underwater microphones,

——水底的麦克风，

and we record ambient noise --

来记录周围的噪音

the noise all around us.

——围绕着我们的噪音。

And the soundscape describes the different contributors

声景描述了这个噪音场

to this noise field.

的不同产生来源。

What we are hearing on our hydrophones

我们用水听器听到的声音

are the very real sounds of climate change.

反映了气候的变迁。

We are hearing these changes from three fronts:

我们聆听到的声音来自三方：

from the air,

空气，

from the water

水，

and from land.

和陆地。

First: air.

第一，空气。

Wind on water creates waves.

水面上的风创造了浪。

These waves make bubbles;

这些浪制造泡泡，

the bubbles break,

泡泡会破裂，

and when they do,

当它们破裂的时候，

they make noise.

它们会发出声音。

And this noise is like a hiss or a static in the background.

这声音像是背景中的嘶嘶声和白噪音。

In the Arctic, when it's ice-covered,

在被冰雪覆盖的北极，

most of the noise from wind doesn't make it into the water column,

大多数风声无法穿透到水下，

because the ice acts as a buffer between the atmosphere and the water.

因为冰是大气和水之间的缓冲层。

This is one of the reasons

这是造成

that the Arctic can have very low ambient noise levels.

北极冰面下噪音低的原因之一。

But with decreases in seasonal sea ice,

但是随着季节性浮冰的减少，

not only is the Arctic now open to this wave noise,

不仅北极水面下能听到这种海浪声了，

but the number of storms and the intensity of storms in the Arctic

而且北极的风暴数量和强度

has been increasing.

也在增加。

All of this is raising noise levels in a previously quiet ocean.

这些都使得原本安静的海洋变得嘈杂。

Second: water.

第二，水。

With less seasonal sea ice,

随着季节性浮冰的减少，

subarctic species are moving north,

亚北极的物种在向北迁徙，

and taking advantage of the new habitat that is created by more open water.

迁徙到新形成的没有结冰的栖息地。

Now, Arctic whales, like this bowhead,

现在，住在北极的鲸鱼，像这个弓头鲸，

they have no dorsal fin,

它们并没有背鳍，

because they have evolved to live and swim in ice-covered waters,

因为它们已进化并适应了在被冰覆盖的水域里游泳和生活，

and having something sticking off of your back is not very conducive

背后长东西不利于

to migrating through ice,

在冰中移动，

and may, in fact, be excluding animals from the ice.

并且事实上，可能无法在冰区生活。

But now, everywhere we've listened,

但是现在，我们在各地

we're hearing the sounds of fin whales and humpback whales

都有听到长须鲸、座头鲸

and killer whales,

和虎鲸的声音，

further and further north,

越来越向北，

and later and later in the season.

季节越来越晚。

We are hearing, in essence,

本质上，我们听到的是

an invasion of the Arctic by subarctic species.

亚北极物种对北极的入侵。

And we don't know what this means.

而且我们不知道这意味这什么。

Will there be competition for food between Arctic and subarctic animals?

北极和亚北极动物会争夺食物吗？

Might these subarctic species introduce diseases or parasites into the Arctic?

这些亚北极物种会把疾病和寄生虫带到北极吗？

And what are the new sounds that they are producing

还有它们产生的声音

doing to the soundscape underwater?

会对水底的声景产生什么样的的影响呢？

And third: land.

第三，陆地。

And by land ...

我指的陆地，

I mean people.

其实是人类。

More open water means increased human use of the Arctic.

更多的非结冰水域意味着 人类可以更多地利用北极。

Just this past summer,

就在上个夏天，

a massive cruise ship made its way through the Northwest Passage --

一艘巨大邮轮成功通过了西北航道，

the once-mythical route between Europe and the Pacific.

这曾是一条欧洲和太平洋之间的神秘航道。

Decreases in sea ice have allowed humans to occupy the Arctic more often.

浮冰的减少让人类能够更多地利用北极。

It has allowed increases in oil and gas exploration and extraction,

这增加了石油和天然气的探索和开采，

the potential for commercial shipping,

增加了商业货物运输的可行性，

as well as increased tourism.

以及增加了旅游活动。

And we now know that ship noise increases levels of stress hormones in whales

我们现在发现船的噪音会提高鲸鱼的压力荷尔蒙，

and can disrupt feeding behavior.

而且能够扰乱它们的觅食行为。

Air guns, which produce loud, low-frequency "whoomps"

气枪，每10到20秒

产生响亮和低频声响。

every 10 to 20 seconds,

changed the swimming and vocal behavior of whales.

改变了鲸鱼游泳和发声的习惯。

And all of these sound sources are decreasing the acoustic space

所有的这些声源减少了

over which Arctic marine mammals can communicate.

北极海洋哺乳动物交流的声音空间。

Now, Arctic marine mammals are used to very high levels of noise

现在，在每年的某一段时间，

at certain times of the year.

北极海洋哺乳动物习惯于非常多的噪音。

But this is primarily from other animals or from sea ice,

但是这是由其他动物或者浮冰产生的，

and these are the sounds with which they've evolved,

这些声音是它们进化过程中适应的，

and these are sounds that are vital to their very survival.

而且这些声音对它们的生存很重要。

These new sounds are loud and they're alien.

而这些新的声音响亮而且陌生。

They might impact the environment in ways that we think we understand,

它们可能会以我们已知或未知的方式

but also in ways that we don't.

影响环境。

Remember, sound is the most important sense for these animals.

记住，声音是这些动物最重要的感知方式，

And not only is the physical habitat of the Arctic changing rapidly,

不仅北极栖息地的样貌正在飞速改变，

but the acoustic habitat is, too.

栖息地的声境也在改变。

It's as if we've plucked these animals up from the quiet countryside

就好像我们把这些动物从安静的郊区

and dropped them into a big city in the middle of rush hour.

放到了交通拥堵时候的大城市中央。

And they can't escape it.

它们无法逃脱。

So what can we do now?

所以，我们能做什么？

We can't decrease wind speeds

我们无法减少风速，

or keep subarctic animals from migrating north,

或者阻止亚北极动物向北迁徙，

but we can work on local solutions

但是我们可以采用局部解决方案，

to reducing human-caused underwater noise.

来减少人为制造的水下噪音。

One of these solutions is to slow down ships

解决方式之一是

that traverse the Arctic,

放慢穿越北极的船速，

because a slower ship is a quieter ship.

因为船速越慢船的声音越小。

We can restrict access in seasons and regions

我们可以在生物交配、觅食和迁徙的重要季节和地区，

that are important for mating or feeding or migrating.

限制人类的进入。

We can get smarter about quieting ships

我们可以研究如何让船更安静，

and find better ways to explore the ocean bottom.

找到更好的探索海底的方式。

And the good news is,

好消息是，

there are people working on this right now.

现在已经有人在做这些事情了。

But ultimately,

但是最终，

we humans have to do the hard work

我们人类还要努力

of reversing or at the very least decelerating

逆转或者至少减慢

human-caused atmospheric changes.

人为造成的大气变化。

So, let's return to this idea of a silent world underwater.

所以，让我们回到寂静的水下世界这个说法。

It's entirely possible

极有可能，

that many of the whales swimming in the Arctic today,

许多现在在北极游泳的鲸鱼

especially long-lived species like the bowhead whale

特别是像弓头鲸这样的长生物种

that the Inuits say can live two human lives --

——因纽特人说它们的生命有可能是人类的两倍

it's possible that these whales were alive in 1956,

——有可能在1956年它们就已经活着了，

when Jacques Cousteau made his film.

即在雅克·库斯托制作这部电影的时候。

And in retrospect,

回想起来

considering all the noise we are creating in the oceans today,

想想我们现在在海洋中制造的噪音，

perhaps it really was "The Silent World."

也许它当时真的是一个“寂静的世界”。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）