Body of Water in Hawaii Mysteriously Turns Bright Pink

Body of Water in Hawaii Mysteriously Turns Bright Pink

夏威夷的一处水体神秘地变成了亮粉色

【原文听力】

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　　By Gregory Stachel

　　13 November 2023

　　A small body of water in Hawaii has turned such a bright pink it could have been used as a set for the movie Barbie. But the unusual color-changing event has some experts concerned.

　　Scientists say extreme dry weather, or drought, may be the reason for the color. For now, they are warning people not to enter the body of water, called a pond, and not drink from it.

　　Workers at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge on the island of Maui have been watching the pink water since October 30.

　　"I just got a report from somebody that was walking on the beach, and they called me up like, ‘There's something weird going on over here,'" said Bret Wolfe, who leads the refuge.

　　Wolfe was concerned the bright pink could be a sign of an event called an algae bloom. An algae bloom happens when simple plants called algae grow out of control and cause harmful effects on humans and animals.

　　But lab tests found harmful algae was not causing the color. So investigators started looking at an organism called halobacteria as a possible cause.

　　Halobacteria are a kind of single-celled organism that do well in bodies of water with high levels of salt. The amount of salt inside the Kealia Pond area is currently greater than 70 parts per thousand, which is twice the amount of salt in seawater. Wolfe said the lab will need to perform DNA research in an effort to identify the organism.

　　Researchers feel that Maui's drought is likely adding to the situation. Normally, another body of water called Waikapu Stream feeds into the pond and raises water levels there. But Wolfe said that has not happened in a long time.

　　When it rains, water flows from Waikapu Stream into the pond and then into the wider area that is now pink. This reduces the amount of salt and could possibly change the water's color.

　　"That might be what makes it go away," Wolfe said.

　　None of the workers, or even some volunteers who have been around for 70 years, have seen the pond this color before. It has been through periods of drought and has had high amounts of salt before. But Wolfe is not sure why the color has changed now.

　　Visitors have come to the area after photos of the pink pond appeared on social media.

　　Wolfe said he would love to have visitors come to learn about local aims to protect nature. He joked, "But no, they're here to see the pink water."

　　He understands everyone's interest. "If that's what gets them there, it's OK," he said.

　　The wildlife area is a wetland that protects endangered birds like the Hawaiian stilt and the Hawaiian coot. It also protects birds that are traveling to warmer areas in the winter.

　　The water does not appear to be harming the birds, Wolfe said.

　　As a protected area, people are not supposed to enter the pond or let their animals in the water. But officials have issued a special warning for people not to enter the water or eat any fish caught there.

　　I'm Gregory Stachel.

　　Audrey McAvoy reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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　　作者：格雷戈里·斯塔切尔2023年11月13日夏威夷的一处小水体变成了如此亮眼的粉色，它甚至可以被用作电影《芭比》的拍摄地。但这种不寻常的颜色变化事件让一些专家感到担忧。

　　科学家们表示，极端的干旱天气可能是导致这种颜色变化的原因。目前，他们警告人们不要进入这个被称为池塘的水体，也不要从中饮水。

　　自10月30日以来，毛伊岛上的基阿利亚池塘国家野生动物保护区的工作人员一直在观察这片粉红色的水域。

　　“我刚从一个在海滩上散步的人那里得到一份报告，他们打电话给我说，‘这里发生了一些奇怪的事情，’”负责这个保护区的布雷特·沃尔夫说。

　　沃尔夫担心这种亮粉色可能是一种叫做藻华的事件的迹象。藻华是指一种被称为藻类的简单植物失控生长，对人类和动物造成有害影响的现象。

　　但是实验室测试发现，有害藻类并未导致这种颜色变化。因此，调查人员开始考虑一种叫做嗜盐细菌的生物可能是导致这种现象的原因。

　　嗜盐细菌是一种在高盐度的水体中生存良好的单细胞生物。目前，基阿利亚池塘区域内的盐分含量超过每千分之70，这是海水盐分含量的两倍。沃尔夫表示，实验室需要进行DNA研究，以努力确定这种生物的身份。

　　研究人员认为，毛伊岛的干旱可能正在加剧这种情况。通常，另一个名为威卡普溪流的水体会流入这个池塘，提高那里的水位。但沃尔夫表示，这种情况已经很长时间没有发生了。

　　当下雨时，水会从威卡普溪流流入池塘，然后流入现在变成粉红色的更广阔的区域。这会减少盐分的含量，可能会改变水的颜色。

　　"这可能是使它消失的原因，"沃尔夫说。

　　无论是工作人员，还是一些已经在这里工作了70年的志愿者，都从未见过这个池塘变成这种颜色。这个池塘经历过干旱期，也曾经有过高盐分含量。但沃尔夫不确定为什么现在颜色会发生变化。

　　在粉红色池塘的照片在社交媒体上出现后，游客们纷纷来到这个区域。

　　沃尔夫说，他很愿意接待来此了解当地保护自然的目标的游客。他开玩笑说，“但不，他们来这里是为了看粉红色的水。”他理解大家的兴趣。“如果这就是吸引他们来的原因，那也没关系，”他说。

　　这个野生动物区是一个保护濒危鸟类的湿地，如夏威夷长脚鹬和夏威夷骨顶鸡。它还保护了那些在冬天迁徙到更暖和地区的鸟类。

　　沃尔夫说，水似乎并没有对鸟类造成伤害。

　　作为一个受保护的区域，人们不应该进入池塘或让他们的动物进入水中。但是，官方已经发出特别警告，人们不要进入水中，也不要食用从那里捕获的任何鱼。

　　我是格雷戈里·斯塔切尔。

　　奥黛丽·麦卡沃伊为美联社报道了这个故事。格雷戈里·斯塔切尔为美国之音学习英语改编了它。

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　　这个故事中的词汇

　　beach - n. 海滩或湖边覆盖着沙子或小石子的地方。

　　weird - adj. 非常不寻常或奇怪的。

　　endangered - adj.用来描述一种变得非常稀有，可能完全消失的动物或植物。