1 . Microplastics — tiny pieces of plastic waste less than five millimetres long that have been degraded by waves, wind and ultraviolet rays — have been discovered in the deepest oceanic trenches and within the stomachs of the organisms that live there, but we have little idea about where the great majority of them end up. More than eight million tonnes of plastic enters our oceans every year, comprising between 80 and 85 percent of all marine trash, but with inadequate data, there are concerns that these figures could be underestimates.
Currently, most of the data we have on microplastics are accidentally captured by research ships, which use plankton nets to collect marine-microorganism samples. However, researchers Christopher Ruf and Madeline Evans from the University of Michigan have discovered an innovative way to identify and track concentrations of microplastics in the ocean.
The technique relies on NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS), a constellation of eight micro-satellites used to predict hurricanes that calculate wind speeds above the ocean by measuring the roughness of surface waters. As the satellites are continuously recording, Ruf and Evans realised that they collect a great deal of additional data. It was while analysing these data that they noticed some differences-times where the surface of the ocean appeared to be much smoother than it should, given the prevailing wind (盛行风) conditions.
Knowing that water isn’t roughened as much when it contains a lot of floating material, Ruf and Evans identified a pattern that linked areas of unusual smoothness and predicted microplastic distributions. They found that the difference between their measurements, and how much rougher the surface would be if winds of the same speed were blowing across clear water, was “highly correlated with the presence of microplastics, and the degree of the difference also correlated with the concentration of the plastics.”
The research reveals that there are seasonal variations,where the concentrations of microplastics tend to be higher in the summer and lower in the winter in a very clean, periodic way, which Ruf explains mirrors the way in which the ocean circulation changes throughout the year. It also confirms, as was previously thought, that rivers are the main source of ocean microplastics.
Raising awareness of the issue of ocean microplastics among the public and politicians is just one of the researchers’ future aims; they are also in conversation with Duteh non-profit The Ocean Cleanup and Finnish clean-technology specialist Clewat, which are interested in using the information to more efficiently target their trash-collection campaigns.
So far, only one year’s worth of data have been processed since CYGNSS was launched in 2016. By looking at a longer time period, Ruf and Evans aim to determine whether the seasonal pattern is repeatable, and whether the concentration of micmplastics in the ocean is getting worse.
1. What is Paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The limited knowledge about ocean microplastics. |
| B．The harm of ocean microplastics to sea creatures. |
| C．The methods of degrading ocean microplasties. |
| D．The previous research on ocean microplasties. |
| A．has offered data about the repeatable seasonal pattern |
| B．guides research ships to gather data about sea animals |
| C．provides unexpected data about the changes of sea surface |
| D．was designed to measure the distribution of ocean microplastics |
| A．Microplastics will end up in the stomachs of the ocean organisms. |
| B．Mlicroplastics play a vital role in the yearly ocean circulation changes. |
| C．The surface of the ocean can get smoother with more microplastics in it. |
| D．The new way of tracking microplastics has helped prevent ocean pollution. |
| A．To introduce the technology of CYGNSS. |
| B．To present a way to study ocean microplastics. |
| C．To test an assumption on ocean microplastics. |
| D．To propose a new means of protecting the ocean. |
2 . Multispectral cameras (多光谱摄像机) keep a watch on the polluted Ganges (恒河), where thousands of people suffer from water-borne diseases by the river.
The 1.500-mile-long Ganges originates in the Himalayan range and snakes across to the coastal state of West Bengal. In Rishikesh, the river is still relatively clear, but when it reaches the city of Kanpur, the Ganges turns a deep grey with raw waste and is faced with serious pollution. 764 industries along the river consume 1,123 million liters of water and flow back about half that volume as wastes.
Large-scale plans ever launched to clean the river prove unsatisfying. due to a lack of a clear understanding of what pollutants are in the water and how they affect it.
Dipro has been working on high tech solutions to the first survey and the analysis of the pollutants. To collect data on the water composition. he sent a plane into the sky, fitted with four multispectral cameras that use sensors to remotely monitor pollutants in the river, which create a long pathway easily studied from the sky. The reflection of lights from the surface of the liquid depends on the amount of various matters in it. At a higher concentration, these changes are visible to naked eyes, but in low concentrations, he uses specialized optical filters (光学过滤) and calculations to separate the wavelengths of light being reflected. Sometimes he creates false color composite images, which add color to the wavelengths to better distinguish different parts of the liquid with concentrations of floating pollutants. People can trace them back to the sources accurately and identify the polluters responsible.
When asked to develop this remote sensing method further to handle polluters better from the sky. Dipro says, "With new and affordable drones (无人机) available in the market, anyone can send one up and help collect relevant data."
1. What's the main idea of paragraph 2?| A．The link between the Himalaya and the river. |
| B．The development of industries along the river. |
| C．The formation of the Ganges |
| D．Severe pollution of the Ganges |
| A．Wavelengths of light. | B．Floating pollutants |
| C．False images. | D．Different parts of the liquid. |
| A．More drones will be adopted to address river pollution. |
| B．It's everyone's duty to engage in the work of drones. |
| C．Drones perform perfectly in river pollution control. |
| D．Drones serve as a must for a better environment |
| A．How to Operate Multispectral Cameras | B．How to Clean Ganges from the Sky |
| C．Dipro's Ambitious Invention | D．Ganges' Serious Pollution |
