本集內容
Could Northern Europe get colder while the rest of the world warms up?
隨著全球變暖歐洲北部反而會變得更冷嗎？
文字稿
Could Northern Europe get much colder while the rest of the world heats up? Scientists are worried it’s possible.
歐洲北部會在全世界變得更熱的情況下反而變得更冷嗎？科學傢們擔心這種情況很可能會發生。
There’s a system of currents in the Atlantic Ocean that brings warm water from the tropics to the North Atlantic. It then returns cold, deep water southwards.
大西洋的一個洋流系統會從熱帶地區向北大西洋輸送溫暖的海水。這個洋流系統會再將寒冷的深層海水送回南方。
It’s called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC for short.
這個系統被稱為 “大西洋經向翻轉環流”，或縮寫為 “AMOC”。
This circulation drives weather patterns.
這種環流驅動著氣候模式的變化。
It is why, for instance, the UK and Northern Europe are warmer in winter than places at similar latitudes, like Moscow.
舉例來說，這個環流致使英國和歐洲北部具有比緯度相同的地區更溫暖的冬季，比如莫斯科。
But climate change is melting ice sheets and changing rainfall patterns. That could weaken AMOC.
但氣候變化正在讓冰蓋融化並改變降雨模式。這可能讓 AMOC 的強度減弱。
Worse, if AMOC were to collapse, it would make parts of Northern Europe an average of 10 degrees colder over a century, while the rest of the world warms up.
更糟糕的是，如果 AMOC 失效的話，歐州北部地區的溫度可能會在一個世紀內平均下降 10 度，而世界其它地區的氣溫將會升高。
It could also disrupt monsoons in Africa and India, causing global chaos.
AMOC 失效也可能會讓非洲和印度的雨季受到影響，讓全球的氣候變得混亂。
Scientists are still debating how likely this is to happen, but some are growing concerned.
科學傢仍在討論 AMOC 失效的可能性有多大，但一部分人對此變得愈發擔憂。
The best way to prevent this? Reduce greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change.
最好的預防方法是什麼？那就是減少導致氣候變化的溫室氣體排放。
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