Part A :

Thanks to all of you for coming along today to hear about how the robotic float project is helping with ocean research .

感谢大家今天来听这个机器人如何帮助海洋研究的讲座。

Well first of all we'll look at what a robotic float does and its use.

首先，我们先来看一下机器人漂浮的用途和使用。

So let's start with the device itself.

让我们从设备本身开始。

It looks a bit like a cigar and it's about one and a half metres long.

它看起来有点像一支雪茄，大约一个米半长。

More importantly it's full of equipment that's designed to collect data.

更重要的是它设备的设计，用来收集数据。

So it can help us in building up a profile of different factors which work together within the world's oceans.

因此，它可以帮助我们建立一个在全世界的海洋里都能使用的档案。

Sounds like a big project-isn't it too big for one country to undertake?

听起来像是一个大项目，是不是对于一个国家来说太大了?

That's quite true but this project is a really good example of international co-operation .

这是非常正确的，但这个项目是国际合作一个非常好的例子。

Over the last five years scientists from thirteen countries have been taking part in the project and launching floats in their area of ocean control.

在过去的五年里，来自十三个国家的科学家参与了这个项目，并开始在他们的海洋控制区中运行漂浮。

And next year this number will rise to fourteen when Indonesia joins the project.

明年印度尼西亚加入该项目时，参与的国家将上升到十四个。

That's impressive.

这是很惊人的。

But let's move onto how floats work .

让我们继续说说如何操作浮动。

The operational cycle goes like this.

这样的运作周期就这样。

Each of the floats is dropped in the ocean from a boat at a set point and activated from a satellite.

每一个漂浮物都是从一个固定的点上的一条船上扔到海里，然后从卫星上激活。

Then the float immediately sinks about 2,000 metres, that's two whole kilometres down in the water.

然后，该浮动立即下沉约2000米…是在水里的完整的两公里。

It stays at this depth for about 10 days and is carried around by the currents which operate in the ocean at this level .

它停留在这个深度约10天，并被在这一深度的海浪推动，在海洋中运行。

During this time it's possible for it to cover quite large distances but the average is fifty kilometres.

在这段时间内，它有可能覆盖相当大的距离，平均为五十公里。

So what is it actually recording?

那记录究竟是什么?

Well at this stage nothing,but as it rises to the surface it collects all sorts of data most importantly variations in salinity,

这一阶段并没有什么，但随着它上升到表面，它将收集各种数据，最重要的是盐度变化，

that's salt levels and the changes In temperature a bit like underwater weather balloons.

这是盐的水平，温度变化，收集过程有点像水下天气气球。

Then when it gets back to the surface all the data it's collected is beamed up to the satellite .

然后它把表面的所有数据的收集传送到卫星。

After about five hours on the surface the float automatically sinks, beginning the whole process again.

约五小时后，表面上的浮动自动下沉，开始重复整个过程。

What happens to the data?

数据怎样了?

Well the information is transferred direct to onshore meteorological stations like our one in Hobart

好消息是它被直接传送到陆上气象站…例如我们霍巴特的一个气象站…

and within four hours the findings can be on computers and they can be mapped and analysed.

在四小时内，调查结果可以在计算机上进行映射和分析。

Part B :

You say you're building models of the world's ocean systems but how're they going to be used and more importantly, when?

你说你建造的是世界上的海洋系统的模型，但他们将如何被使用，更重要的是，什么时候被使用?

Some of the data has already helped in completing projects.

有些数据已经帮助完成项目。

For example our understanding of the underlying causes of El Niňo events is being confirmed by float data.

举例子来说，我们对厄尔尼诺现象的事件的根本原因的理解是由漂浮数据确认。

Another way we're using float data is to help us to understand the mechanics of climate change like global warming and ozone depletion.

我们使用浮动数据的另一种途径它是帮助我们了解气候变化的机制，如全球变暖和臭氧损耗。

That's part of an ongoing variability study but the results are still a long way off.

这是持续的变异研究的一部分，但结果仍然需要很长的时间去探索。

However, this is not the case with our ocean weather forecasting.

然而，我们的海洋天气预报不是这样的。

Because we know from the floats what the prevailing weather conditions will be in certain parts of the ocean we can advise the navy on search and rescue missions.

因为我们知道，从漂浮的数据我们知道天气状况在某些地区的海洋是怎样的，我们可以由此建议海军进行搜索和救援任务的领域。

That's happening right now and many yachtsmen owe their lives to the success of this project.

这是现在许多游艇成功的被拯救了生命的例子。

In addition the float data can help us to look at the biological implications of ocean processes.

此外，浮动数据可以帮助我们理解海洋过程的生物学意义。

Would that help with preserving fish stocks?

有助于保护鱼类种群吗?

Yes,and advising governments on fisheries legislation.

是的，建议各国政府对渔业立法。

We're well on the way to completing a project on this.

我们很快就会完成一个相关的项目。

We hope it will help to bring about more sustainable fishing practices.

我们希望这将有助于实现更可持续的捕捞行为。

We'll be seeing the results of that quite soon.

我们很快就会看到结果。

It sounds like the data from floats has lots of applications.

听起来从漂浮收集的数据有很多的应用。

Yes it does. It's also a powerful agricultural tool.

是的。它也是一个强大的农业工具。

If we were aware of what the weather would be like say, next year,

如果我们知道将来天气会是什么样的，例如，明年，

we could make sure that the farmers planted appropriate grain varieties to produce the best yield from the available rainfall.

我们可以确保农民种植了适当的粮食品种，以从可用的降雨收货最好的产量。

That sounds a bit like science fiction,especially when now we can't even tell them when a drought will break.

这听起来有点像科幻小说，尤其是当现在我们甚至不能告诉他们什么时候干旱会停止。

I agree that this concept is still a long way in the future but it will come eventually and the float data will have made a contribution.

我认为这个概念在未来仍然很长，但它最终会出现，并且浮动数据将做出贡献。