There are now six fires burning at emergency levels.

現在有6個火點在緊急燃燒。

The smoke is so intense and so thick, it can be seen from space.

濃濃的煙霧，從太空中都能看到。

2,000 homes have been destroyed.

2,000間房屋被毀。

Six million hectares of land charred.

600萬公頃土地被燒燬。

A staggering toll on the nation's wildlife.

對全國野生動物造成了驚人的損失。

This is just heartbreaking.

這實在是讓人心痛。

These record-breaking bushfires in Australia have been kicked off by things like lightning strikes, a few cases of arson, and winds.

澳洲這些破紀錄的叢林大火是由雷擊、幾起縱火和風等因素引發的。

But one of the biggest reasons they've become so extreme is the same reason that East Africa is flooding.

但它們變得如此極端的最大原因之一，也是東非發生洪水的原因。

Bushfires in Australia are a natural part of the country's ecosystem.

澳洲的叢林火災是該國生態系統的一個自然組成部分。

Their "fire season" varies across regions.

他們的 "火季 "在不同地區也不盡相同。

Even New South Wales, the most populous state, is used to blazes breaking out.

即使是人口最多的新南威爾士州，也習慣了大火的爆發。

In 1974, fires burned 3.5 million hectares, and in 2003, another 2 million hectares were lost to fire.

1974年，大火燒燬了350萬公頃的土地，2003年，又有200萬公頃土地被燒燬。

But the fires that started in 2019 are even worse: 4.9 million hectares in New South Wales have burned already, and it's only going to grow.

但2019年開始的大火更為嚴重：新南威爾士州已經有490萬公頃的土地被燒燬，而且只會越來越多。

So, why is this fire season so awful?

那麼，為什麼這個火季這麼可怕呢？

For starters, as the world is getting warmer from climate change, so is Australia.

首先，隨著世界因氣候變化而變暖，澳洲也在變暖。

2019 was its hottest year on record, with parts of the country reaching 45 degrees Celsius in December.

2019年是其有史以來最熱的一年，12月部分地區氣溫達到45攝氏度。

2019 was also it's driest

2019年也是最乾燥的一年

The places here in gray have seen historic droughts.

灰這裡的地方都出現了歷史性的乾旱。

Together, that provides the perfect conditions for bushfires to start and spread quickly.

這共同為叢林火災的發生和迅速蔓延提供了完美的條件。

Throughout the year, other large-scale climate drivers affect Australia's weather, and its likeliness to burn.

在一年中，其他大規模的氣候驅動因素會影響澳洲的天氣，以及其燃燒的可能性。

But one of the most influential is the Indian Ocean Dipole, or the IOD.

但其中影響最大的是印度洋偶極子，即IOD。

The IOD is a big temperature gradient that affects the surface water in the Indian Ocean from the edge of Africa to the edge of Australia.

IOD是一個很大的溫度梯度，影響著印度洋從非洲邊緣到澳洲邊緣的地表水。

Meteorologists have been measuring these temperature shifts for decades in three phases: positive, neutral, and negative.

氣象學家幾十年來一直在測量這些溫度變化，分為三個階段：正、中、負。

When the IOD is neutral, the surface water in the Indian Ocean is evenly warm.

當IOD為中性時，印度洋的表層水均勻變暖。

A negative phase is when winds come in from the west and shift the warm water toward Australia.

負相是指風從西面吹來，將暖水移向澳洲。

Warmer water means more evaporation, which means more rain.

水溫升高意味著更多的蒸發，也就意味著更多的雨水。

So, Australia gets more rain than usual, sometimes even floods.

所以，澳洲的雨量比平時多，有時甚至會發生洪水。

But the colder water near East Africa means they get less rain and even drought.

但東非附近的冷水意味著他們的降雨量減少，甚至出現乾旱。

A positive phase is what's happening now.

現在的情況是一個積極的階段。

It's when the winds come in from the east and shift the warm water towards Africa, which causes flooding there, and drought in Australia.

當風從東邊吹來，把溫暖的水轉向非洲時，就會造成那裡的洪水，以及澳洲的乾旱。

The entire process of shifting water temperatures is natural.

整個水溫的變化過程是自然的。

But 2019's was extreme.

但2019年的是極端的。

The positive IOD was one of the strongest on record, with the water temperature difference between Africa and Australia being unusually high.

此次正IOD是有史以來最強的一次，非洲和澳洲的水溫差異常大。

Hence, extreme weather in Australia, but also in Africa.

是以，澳洲的極端天氣，也是非洲的極端天氣。

The worst flooding in two decades.

二十年來最嚴重的洪水。

More than three times their annual rainfall in only four days.

僅僅4天時間，降雨量就超過其全年降雨量的3倍。

Scientists believe it's linked to record temperatures in the Indian Ocean.

科學家認為，這與印度洋創紀錄的溫度有關。

The good news is the IOD is already shifting to neutral, which should bring some much-needed relief to Australia and Africa in early 2020.

好消息是IOD已經轉向中性，這應該會在2020年初給澳洲和非洲帶來一些急需的緩解。

But as the planet continues to warm, some scientists are concerned about how that might affect weather phenomenons like the IOD.

但隨著地球持續變暖，一些科學家擔心這可能會對IOD等天氣現象產生影響。

One study predicts positive IODs, like what we're seeing now, could happen more frequently as global temperatures rise and warm the Indian Ocean.

一項研究預測，隨著全球氣溫的升高和印度洋的變暖，像我們現在看到的正IODs可能會更頻繁地發生。

Combine that with the rising overall temperature of Australia, and these kinds of devastating fires, fueled by unusually dry vegetation, could become the new normal.

再加上澳洲整體氣溫的上升，這種由異常乾燥的植被助長的破壞性火災可能成為新的常態。