西伯利亞這些奇怪的冰環(huán)之謎終于被解開了

西伯利亞這些奇怪的冰環(huán)之謎終于被解開了

Since 1969, humans have been aware of bizarre ice rings forming in Lake Baikal, but for decades the exact mechanism as to how these strange structures arose remained unclear. In a recent study published in the journal of Limnology and Oceanography, researchers have finally cracked the source of these unusual spectacles.

自1969年以來，人類已經(jīng)知道貝加爾湖上形成了奇怪的冰環(huán)，但幾十年來，這些奇怪結(jié)構(gòu)形成的確切機制仍不清楚。在最近發(fā)表在《湖沼學與海洋學雜志》上的一項研究中，研究人員終于找到了這些不尋常景象的來源。

At around 25-30 million years old, Lake Baikal is one of the world’s oldest lakes, and with a maximum depth of 1,642 meters (5,387 feet), it is, by volume, the largest freshwater lake in existence. Found in Siberia, Russia, it contains approximately 23,615.39 cubic kilometers (5,670 cubic miles) of fresh water, which amounts to more than all of the North American Great Lakes combined.

貝加爾湖大約有2500 - 3000萬年的歷史，是世界上最古老的湖泊之一，最大深度為1642米(5387英尺)，按體積計算是現(xiàn)存最大的淡水湖。它位于俄羅斯的西伯利亞，含有大約23615.39立方公里(5670立方英里)的淡水，比北美五大湖的總和還多。

By Rachael Funnell

Throughout the year, the water temperature of the lake ranges quite dramatically. In the summer, the surface layer can be as warm as 16°C (61°F) in some areas, but the surface freezes for just over four months from early January to May. On average, the ice is about 0.5 to 1.4 meters (1.6 to 4.6 feet), but in some areas where there are hummocks (a knoll of ice that rises above the surface), it can be as thick as 2 meters (6.6 feet).

一年中，這個湖的水溫變化很大。在夏季，某些地區(qū)的表層溫度可高達16°C(61°F)，但從1月初到5月，表層結(jié)冰時間僅為4個多月。平均來說，冰大約是0.5到1.4米(1.6到4.6英尺)，但是在一些有小丘的地方(一個隆起的冰丘)，冰厚可達2米(6.6英尺)。

The lake has long been famous for the puzzling ice rings that appear during the winter months that are so vast they are visible from space. In fact, it was thanks to the help of NASA scientists that the mystery of these enormous spectacles was finally solved. Using data collected from satellites and sensors dropped into the lake, it was discovered that warm eddies deep below the frozen lake’s surface were creating a warm flow of water in a clockwise direction, even in the cooler months. The strength of the current is weakest in the center, where the surface ice remains frozen, but the stronger current on the outside of the eddy can thaw the ice, creating these astonishing formations visible from above.

長期以來，這個湖一直以在冬季出現(xiàn)的令人費解的冰環(huán)而聞名，這些冰環(huán)非常巨大，從太空中都能看到。事實上，多虧了美國宇航局科學家的幫助，這些巨型眼鏡的神秘面紗才得以解開。通過從投放到湖中的衛(wèi)星和傳感器收集到的數(shù)據(jù)，科學家們發(fā)現(xiàn)，在冰封的湖面下很深的地方，溫暖的漩渦正在順時針方向產(chǎn)生溫暖的水流，即使在天氣較冷的月份也是如此。漩渦中心的洋流強度是最弱的，那里的表面冰仍然凍結(jié)著，但是渦流外部的更強的洋流可以融化冰，從上面可以看到這些驚人的結(jié)構(gòu)。

While beautiful, the rings can prove perilous for the drivers who take their vehicles across the frozen lake, as despite being apparent from the perspective of satellites, they are a lot harder to spot at ground level. As a public service, Alexei Kouraev, an assistant professor at the Laboratory for Studies in Spatial Geophysics and Oceanography (LEGOS) at the Federal University in Toulouse, France, routinely updates a website with his team of researchers identifying the locations of newly formed ice rings.

盡管環(huán)冰很漂亮，但對于那些駕車穿越冰凍湖面的司機來說，它們可能是危險的，因為盡管從衛(wèi)星的角度看它們很明顯，但在地面上很難看到它們。作為一項公共服務(wù)，位于法國圖盧茲的聯(lián)邦大學空間地球物理學和海洋學研究實驗室(LEGOS)的助理教授阿列克謝·庫拉耶夫與他的研究團隊定期更新一個網(wǎng)站，以確定新形成的冰環(huán)的位置。

The exact cause of this warm deep-water eddy formation is not yet understood, and research is continuing to try and further understand this phenomenon. Existing data indicates that water flowing in from other rivers and wind patterns could have a part to play, and that they likely form in the autumn months before the ice is frozen. For now, this ancient and cavernous lake still holds many secrets.

這種溫暖的深海渦流形成的確切原因還不清楚，研究人員正在繼續(xù)努力，進一步了解這一現(xiàn)象。現(xiàn)有的數(shù)據(jù)表明，從其他河流流入的水和風的模式可能起到了一定的作用，它們可能在冰凍結(jié)前的秋季形成?，F(xiàn)在，這個古老而深邃的湖泊仍然保留著許多秘密。