Name: 誰把地球急凍了？都是「極地渦旋」惹的禍 Polar Vortex Explained in 2 Minutes
Uploaded: 2014-01-20T09:17:03.000Z
Duration: 2 min 13 s

If you’ve been hearing that extreme cold spells like the   one that we’re having in the United States now,

如果你有聽過極端冷交替像美國現在這情況,

disprove global warming, don’t believe it.

The fact is that no single weather episode can   either prove or disprove global climate change.

事實是沒有顯著的天氣事件可以證明或反駁全球氣候變遷

Climate is the pattern of weather that we observe geographically

氣候是我們地理上觀察到的天氣模式

and over the seasons, and it’s described in terms of averages, variations, and probabilities.

透過四季,它是就平均數,變化,和可能性來論的

But a growing body of evidence suggests that the   kind of extreme cold being experienced,

正當我們說這模式可能預期會發生時,

By much of the United States as we speak is   a pattern that we can expect to see,

越多的證據提出極端冷正在美國發生

With increasing frequency as global warming continues.

而且隨著全球暖化的持續會越來越頻繁

And the reason is this: in the warming world that we’re experiencing,

原因是: 我們正處在越來越暖的環境裡,

the far north,  the Arctic, is warming roughly twice as   rapidly as the mid-latitudes such as the United States,

遠北,北極圈,正以比中緯度地區像是美國大約快兩倍的速度暖化,

That means that the temperature difference between the Arctic and the mid-latitudes is shrinking.

這意味著北極圈和中緯度地區之間溫度的差別正在縮小

And that temperature difference is what drives what is called the circumpolar vortex,

而溫度間的差別就是造成所謂的環極渦旋,

which is the great counterclockwise-swirling mass of cold   air that hovers over the Arctic.

是一個伴隨冷空氣的超級逆時針氣旋在北極圈徘徊

As the temperature difference between the Arctic and the mid-latitudes declines,

當北極圈和中緯度地區間的溫度差異減少,

the polar vortex weakens, and it becomes wavier.

極地窩旋變弱,它就變得比較波動

The waviness means that there can be increased   larger excursions of cold air southward –

that is into the mid-latitudes and in the other phase of the wave,

也就是朝向中緯度地區和在其他階段的波動,

Increased excursions or relatively warmer mid latitude air into the far north.

增強的偏移或是相對而言較溫暖的中緯度空氣向北方前進

Computer models tell us that there are many different factors influencing these patterns.

電腦原型告訴我們有很多變因會影響這些模式

And, as in all science, there will be   continuing debate about exactly what is happening.

然後,在科學界,將會持續這場辯論

But I believe the odds are that we can   expect as a result of global warming,

但我相信我們可以預期由於全球暖化,

to see more of this pattern of extreme cold in the mid-latitudes

會看到在中緯度地區越來越多極端冷