TED2017
Kristen Marhaver: Why I still have hope for coral reefs
克莉丝汀·马哈韦尔: 为什么我对珊瑚礁的恢复依然充满信心
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太平洋的珊瑚礁正在以触目惊心的速度死亡，尤其是由于水温的增高导致的白化现象。但是现在行动还不迟，TED演讲者克莉丝汀·马哈韦尔说道。她将目光投向了加勒比海——在给了足够的时间、稳定的水温和保护之后，那里的珊瑚显示出能够从重创中恢复的能力。马哈韦尔提醒我们为什么需要保护我们仅存的珍贵珊瑚。“珊瑚向来擅长于长久战，”她说，“我们也是。”
Kristen Marhaver - Coral reef biologist
TED Senior Fellow Kristen Marhaver is a marine biologist studying the ecology, behavior and reproduction of reef corals. Full bio
TED Senior Fellow Kristen Marhaver is a marine biologist studying the ecology, behavior and reproduction of reef corals. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
The first time I cried underwater
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我第一次在海底哭泣
00:15
was in 2008,
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是在2008年，
00:16
the island of Curaçao,
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在库拉索岛，
00:18
way down in the southern Caribbean.
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加勒比海南边。
00:20
It's beautiful there.
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那里很美。
00:22
I was studying these corals for my PhD,
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我当时念博士，研究珊瑚礁，
00:25
and after days and days
of diving on the same reef,
of diving on the same reef,
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日复一日地从同一处
珊瑚礁潜水下去，
珊瑚礁潜水下去，
00:27
I had gotten to know them as individuals.
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我看它们就像一个个人一样。
00:29
I had made friends with coral colonies --
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我跟珊瑚礁群做了朋友——
00:32
totally a normal thing to do.
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完全正常的事情。
00:35
Then, Hurricane Omar smashed them apart
and ripped off their skin,
and ripped off their skin,
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后来，Omar飓风把它们撕得
四分五裂，脱了层皮，
四分五裂，脱了层皮，
00:39
leaving little bits of wounded tissue
that would have a hard time healing,
that would have a hard time healing,
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只留下一点点残缺的珊瑚组织
需要漫长的时间休养生息，
需要漫长的时间休养生息，
00:44
and big patches of dead skeleton
that would get overgrown by algae.
that would get overgrown by algae.
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而死亡的珊瑚礁的骨骼
大片大片的被海藻覆盖。
大片大片的被海藻覆盖。
00:48
When I saw this damage for the first time,
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当我第一次看到这样的惨状，
00:50
stretching all the way down the reef,
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一直蔓延到珊瑚礁底部，
潜水服里的我坐在泥沙里
00:52
I sunk onto the sand in my scuba gear
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00:54
and I cried.
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哭了起来。
00:55
If a coral could die that fast,
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如果珊瑚死的这么突然，
00:57
how could a reef ever survive?
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这座珊瑚礁何以存活？
01:00
And why was I making it my job
to try to fight for them?
to try to fight for them?
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那么，为什么我要以此为
工作目标，为它们努力？
工作目标，为它们努力？
01:03
I never heard another scientist
tell that kind of story
tell that kind of story
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我从未听到另一个科学家
讲述类似的故事
讲述类似的故事
01:06
until last year.
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直到去年。
01:08
A scientist in Guam wrote,
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一位关岛的科学家写到，
01:10
"I cried right into my mask,"
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“我在我的防护罩里哭了起来，”
01:12
seeing the damage on the reefs.
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当他看到珊瑚礁遭受的破坏时。
01:15
Then a scientist in Australia wrote,
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接着一位澳大利亚的科学家写到，
01:17
"I showed my students
the results of our coral surveys,
the results of our coral surveys,
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“我向我的学生展示了
我们珊瑚调查的结果，
我们珊瑚调查的结果，
01:20
and we wept."
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我们都哭泣了。”
01:22
Crying about corals
is having a moment, guys.
is having a moment, guys.
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伙计们，为珊瑚哭泣
正是时候。
正是时候。
01:25
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
01:26
And that's because reefs in the Pacific
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这是因为太平洋的珊瑚礁
覆盖表面的珊瑚正在以我们
从未见过的速度消失。
从未见过的速度消失。
01:28
are losing corals faster
than we've ever seen before.
than we've ever seen before.
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01:31
Because of climate change,
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因为气候变化，
01:33
the water is so hot for so long
in the summers,
in the summers,
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夏季的水温持续了
太长时间的高温，
太长时间的高温，
01:35
that these animals
can't function normally.
can't function normally.
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导致这些动物（珊瑚）
无法正常工作。
无法正常工作。
01:38
They're spitting out the colored algae
that lives in their skin,
that lives in their skin,
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它们吐出位于它们皮肤
表面的有色藻类，
表面的有色藻类，
01:41
and the clear bleached tissue
that's left usually starves to death
that's left usually starves to death
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留下来的白化后的组织
往往会饥饿而死
往往会饥饿而死
01:46
and then rots away.
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然后被海水冲走。
01:49
Then the skeletons are overgrown by algae.
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然后珊瑚骨架会被藻类占据。
01:51
This is happening
over an unbelievable scale.
over an unbelievable scale.
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这一切正在以令人
无法相信的速度发生着。
无法相信的速度发生着。
01:54
The Northern Great Barrier Reef
lost two-thirds of its corals last year
lost two-thirds of its corals last year
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北方的大堡礁去年有
三分之二的珊瑚死去，
三分之二的珊瑚死去，
01:58
over a distance of hundreds of miles,
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蔓延数百英里，
02:01
then bleached again this year,
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今年又一次出现了白化，
02:02
and the bleaching stretched further south.
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并且白化现象向更南方延续。
02:06
Reefs in the Pacific
are in a nosedive right now,
are in a nosedive right now,
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太平洋的珊瑚礁的死亡速度
正在加快，
正在加快，
02:08
and no one knows
how bad it's going to get,
how bad it's going to get,
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现在没有人知道到底
会发展到多坏的程度。
会发展到多坏的程度。
02:10
except ...
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除了…
02:12
over in the Caribbean where I work,
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在我工作的加勒比海区域，
02:14
we've already been through the nosedive.
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我们已经经历了这种加速。
02:16
Reefs there have suffered
through centuries of intense human abuse.
through centuries of intense human abuse.
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珊瑚礁已经忍受了数百年
人类的各种蹂躏。
人类的各种蹂躏。
我们差不多已经知道
事态会如何发展。
事态会如何发展。
02:20
We kind of already know
how the story goes.
how the story goes.
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02:23
And we might be able to help predict
what happens next.
what happens next.
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并且我们大概能够预测
下一步会发生什么。
下一步会发生什么。
02:27
Let's consult a graph.
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让我们画一张图。
02:32
Since the invention of scuba,
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自从潜水器发明，
02:34
scientists have measured
the amount of coral on the seafloor,
the amount of coral on the seafloor,
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科学家就已经成功的
描绘了海床上的珊瑚礁分布，
描绘了海床上的珊瑚礁分布，
02:37
and how it's changed through time.
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以及它们随时间的变化趋势。
02:39
And after centuries
of ratcheting human pressure,
of ratcheting human pressure,
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在经历了几个世纪人类
破坏的棘轮效应后，
破坏的棘轮效应后，
02:41
Caribbean reefs met one of three fates.
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加勒比珊瑚礁面临了三种命运。
02:44
Some reefs lost their corals very quickly.
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有的珊瑚礁上的珊瑚很快就没了。
02:49
Some reefs lost their corals more slowly,
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有些珊瑚礁上珊瑚的死亡速度慢一点，
02:52
but kind of ended up in the same place.
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但是基本上也消失殆尽。
02:55
OK, so far this is not going very well.
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好吧，目前为止事情都不算好。
02:58
But some reefs in the Caribbean --
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但是加勒比的有些珊瑚礁——
03:00
the ones best protected
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受到良好保护
03:02
and the ones a little
further from humans --
further from humans --
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受到人类的
多一点的保护——
多一点的保护——
03:05
they managed to hold onto their corals.
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它们成功的留住了珊瑚。
03:09
Give us a challenge.
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给了我们一个挑战。
03:12
And, we almost never saw a reef hit zero.
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而且，我们很少看到珊瑚礁上珊瑚一点不剩。
03:16
The second time I cried underwater
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我第二次在水下哭泣
03:18
was on the north shore of Curaçao, 2011.
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是2011年在库拉索岛的北岸。
03:22
It was the calmest day of the year,
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在一个风平浪静的日子，
03:23
but it's always pretty
sketchy diving there.
sketchy diving there.
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不过在那里潜水
一直是非常草率的。
一直是非常草率的。
03:26
My boyfriend and I swam against the waves.
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我和男友逆着海浪游着。
03:28
I watched my compass
so we could find our way back out,
so we could find our way back out,
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我负责看着罗盘
以确保我们能回来，
以确保我们能回来，
03:31
and he watched for sharks,
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他负责看有没有鲨鱼，
03:32
and after 20 minutes of swimming
that felt like an hour,
that felt like an hour,
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经过了20分钟的游泳，
感觉像游了一个小时，
感觉像游了一个小时，
03:35
we finally dropped down to the reef,
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我们终于下潜到了珊瑚礁，
03:37
and I was so shocked,
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我被震惊了，
03:39
and I was so happy
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我高兴到
03:40
that my eyes filled with tears.
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泪水在我的眼睛里打转。
03:43
There were corals 1,000 years old
lined up one after another.
lined up one after another.
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那些活了一千年之久的珊瑚，
一个一个连成一片。
一个一个连成一片。
03:49
They had survived the entire history
of European colonialism in the Caribbean,
of European colonialism in the Caribbean,
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它们在加勒比海经历了欧洲
大殖民时期并活了下来，
大殖民时期并活了下来，
03:53
and for centuries before that.
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在那之前已经活了几个世纪。
03:57
I never knew what a coral could do
when it was given a chance to thrive.
when it was given a chance to thrive.
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我永远不知道珊瑚生命力多旺盛
直到它们有了一个繁荣的机会。
直到它们有了一个繁荣的机会。
04:02
The truth is that even
as we lose so many corals,
as we lose so many corals,
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真相是即使我们
损失如此多的珊瑚，
损失如此多的珊瑚，
04:06
even as we go through
this massive coral die-off,
this massive coral die-off,
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甚至像我们正在经历的
如此大面积的珊瑚死亡，
如此大面积的珊瑚死亡，
04:09
some reefs will survive.
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会有一些珊瑚重新繁荣起来。
04:11
Some will be ragged on the edge,
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有些残喘的活在边边角角，
04:13
some will be beautiful.
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有些会非常美丽。
04:16
And by protecting shorelines
and giving us food to eat
and giving us food to eat
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并且保护海岸线还能够
增加渔业资源，
增加渔业资源，
04:18
and supporting tourism,
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促进旅游业发展，
04:20
they will still be worth
billions and billions of dollars a year.
billions and billions of dollars a year.
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依然能够带来每年
数十亿的财富。
数十亿的财富。
04:24
The best time to protect a reef
was 50 years ago,
was 50 years ago,
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保护珊瑚礁最好的时间
是在50年前，
是在50年前，
04:26
but the second-best time is right now.
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而第二个最佳时刻就是现在。
04:31
Even as we go through bleaching events,
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即使我们已经经历了白化事件，
即使面积更广，更加频繁，
04:33
more frequent and in more places,
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04:35
some corals will be able to recover.
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有些珊瑚是可以恢复的。
04:38
We had a bleaching event
in 2010 in the Caribbean
in 2010 in the Caribbean
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加勒比海在2010年
也经历了白化事件，
也经历了白化事件，
04:41
that took off big patches of skin
on boulder corals like these.
on boulder corals like these.
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当时就像这样大片大片的
珊瑚礁表面被剥离了。
珊瑚礁表面被剥离了。
04:46
This coral lost half of its skin.
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一般的珊瑚表面没有了。
04:48
But if you look at the side
of this coral a few years later,
of this coral a few years later,
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但是如果你在几年之后
观察同一处珊瑚，
观察同一处珊瑚，
04:53
this coral is actually healthy again.
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珊瑚实际上重新恢复了健康。
04:55
It's doing what a healthy coral does.
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它像正常的珊瑚礁一样。
04:57
It's making copies of its polyps,
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它复制自己的息肉，
05:00
it's fighting back the algae
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它向藻类回击，
05:01
and it's reclaiming its territory.
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重新夺回自己的领地。
05:04
If a few polyps survive,
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如果有少量息肉存活，
05:05
a coral can regrow;
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一片珊瑚就可以再生；
05:06
it just needs time and protection
and a reasonable temperature.
and a reasonable temperature.
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它仅仅需要时间、适当的保护
以及合理的海水温度。
以及合理的海水温度。
05:11
Some corals can regrow in 10 years --
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有些珊瑚可以在10年内再生——
05:13
others take a lot longer.
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其它的会稍微长一点。
05:14
But the more stresses
we take off them locally --
we take off them locally --
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但是我们在珊瑚礁周边
给珊瑚礁的压力——
给珊瑚礁的压力——
05:17
things like overfishing,
sewage pollution, fertilizer pollution,
sewage pollution, fertilizer pollution,
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像是过度捕捞、生活污水
农业肥料污染等，
农业肥料污染等，
05:21
dredging, coastal construction --
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清淤工程、海岸建设——
05:24
the better they can hang on
as we stabilize the climate,
as we stabilize the climate,
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当我们将气候稳定后
这些问题处理的愈好，
这些问题处理的愈好，
05:27
and the faster they can regrow.
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珊瑚的恢复速度就越快。
05:29
And as we go through the long,
tough and necessary process
tough and necessary process
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在我们完成这个漫长、
艰难而又必需的目标时
艰难而又必需的目标时
05:33
of stabilizing the climate
of planet Earth,
of planet Earth,
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也就是让地球的
气候恢复稳定，
气候恢复稳定，
05:36
some new corals will still be born.
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一些新的珊瑚会继续诞生。
05:39
This is what I study in my research.
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这是我的研究内容。
05:41
We try to understand
how corals make babies,
how corals make babies,
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我们尝试理解珊瑚
如何产生小珊瑚，
如何产生小珊瑚，
05:44
and how those babies
find their way to the reef,
find their way to the reef,
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以及这些小宝宝如何能够
寻找到珊瑚礁，
寻找到珊瑚礁，
05:46
and we invent new methods
to help them survive
to help them survive
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然后我们发明新的方法
帮助他们存活，
帮助他们存活，
05:49
those early, fragile life stages.
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挺过生命初期的脆弱阶段。
05:52
One of my favorite
coral babies of all time
coral babies of all time
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我最喜欢的
珊瑚宝宝
珊瑚宝宝
05:55
showed up right after Hurricane Omar.
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是Omar飓风之后出现的一个。
05:57
It's the same species
I was studying before the storm,
I was studying before the storm,
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它跟我在飓风之前研究的
珊瑚是同一种类，
珊瑚是同一种类，
05:59
but you almost never see
babies of this species --
babies of this species --
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但是你可能从来不会
看到这种品种的珊瑚宝宝——
看到这种品种的珊瑚宝宝——
06:02
it's really rare.
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非常罕见。
06:03
This is actually an endangered species.
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实际上这是个濒危物种了。
06:06
In this photo, this little baby coral,
this little circle of polyps,
this little circle of polyps,
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照片里这个珊瑚小宝宝，
这小小的圆形触手，
这小小的圆形触手，
06:09
is a few years old.
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只有几岁大。
06:11
Like its cousins that bleach,
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像它已经白化的兄弟一样，
06:13
it's fighting back the algae.
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它正在回击藻类。
06:15
And like its cousins on the north shore,
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同时也跟它在北岸的表亲类似，
06:17
it's aiming to live for 1,000 years.
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它能够活一千年以上。
06:21
What's happening in the world
and in the ocean
and in the ocean
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这个世界上，这片海洋里
发生的事情
发生的事情
06:24
has changed our time horizon.
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改变了我们的时间观念。
06:26
We can be incredibly pessimistic
on the short term,
on the short term,
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我们可能在短期内
极端悲观，
极端悲观，
06:29
and mourn what we lost
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为失去的悲痛，
06:31
and what we really took for granted.
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而事实也正是如此。
06:34
But we can still be optimistic
on the long term,
on the long term,
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但是我们始终哦可以在
长远上保持乐观，
长远上保持乐观，
06:36
and we can still be ambitious
about what we fight for
about what we fight for
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而我们始终可以保持雄心壮志
努力去拼搏，
努力去拼搏，
06:39
and what we expect from our governments,
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去要求我们的政府，
06:42
from our planet.
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去信任这个星球。
06:44
Corals have been living on planet Earth
for hundreds of millions of years.
for hundreds of millions of years.
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珊瑚已经在这个地球上
生活了上亿年。
生活了上亿年。
06:48
They survived the extinction
of the dinosaurs.
of the dinosaurs.
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它们从恐龙大灭绝时代
存活了下来。
存活了下来。
06:50
They're badasses.
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它们都不是善茬儿。
06:52
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
06:53
An individual coral can go through
tremendous trauma and fully recover
tremendous trauma and fully recover
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一片珊瑚可以经历巨大的创伤
然后完全的恢复，
然后完全的恢复，
06:58
if it's given a chance
and it's given protection.
and it's given protection.
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只要给它一个休养生息的机会
和足够的保护措施。
和足够的保护措施。
07:02
Corals have always
been playing the long game,
been playing the long game,
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珊瑚从来都是善于
打持久战的。
打持久战的。
07:05
and now so are we.
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现在我们也需要。
07:07
Thanks very much.
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非常感谢
07:08
(Applause)
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（掌声）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kristen Marhaver - Coral reef biologistTED Senior Fellow Kristen Marhaver is a marine biologist studying the ecology, behavior and reproduction of reef corals.
Why you should listen
Dr. Kristen Marhaver's work combines classic scientific methods with new technologies to help threatened coral species survive their early life stages. She was the first person to rear juveniles of the endangered Caribbean Pillar Coral. Now she's now developing bacterial tools to improve coral survival at all life stages.
Marhaver's research has been covered by NPR, BBC, The Atlantic and Popular Science, among hundreds of outlets. She's earned five fellowships and grants from the US National Science Foundation and multiple awards for science communication. Marhaver is a TED Senior Fellow, a WINGS Fellow, and a World Economic Forum Young Scientist.
Outside the lab, Marhaver advocates for stronger ocean conservation and smarter science communication. Her talks and articles have been featured by Google, Wired UK, Mission Blue and by ocean and scuba festivals around the world.
A scuba diver from the age of 15, Marhaver is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology and the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her lab is based at the CARMABI Research Station on the island of Curaçao.
Kristen Marhaver | Speaker | TED.com