Australia's government has placed sensors in parts of the Great Barrier Reef in an effort to record water quality.
澳大利亚政府在大堡礁部分区域安装了传感器以记录水质。
The Great Barrier Reef covers about 344,000 square kilometers of area off Australia's northeast coast. It contains hundreds of islands and thousands of natural structures, known as reefs.
大堡礁位于澳大利亚东北海岸，面积约344000平方公里。它包含数百个岛屿和数千个珊瑚礁。
The sensors measure levels of sediment and carbon materials flowing from the Fitzroy River into Keppel Bay in Queensland state. The area sits within the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef. Such substances can damage sea life.
这些传感器负责测量从菲茨罗伊河流入昆士兰州吉宝湾的沉积物和碳物质的水平。该地区位于大堡礁的南部。上述物质会破坏海洋生物。
The Australian government agency Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) operates the program. The agency says the effort uses the sensors and satellite data to measure changes in water quality.
澳大利亚政府机构联邦科学与工业研究组织负责该项目。该机构表示，这项工作利用传感器和卫星数据来测量水质的变化。
Experts say the quality of Australia's coastal and inland waterways is being threatened by warming temperatures, urbanization, deforestation and pollution.
专家表示，澳大利亚沿海和内陆水道的水质正受到气温升高、城市化、森林砍伐和污染的威胁。
The reef is one of seven test areas of CSIRO's AquaWatch Australia Mission. The research team hopes to establish 15 testing areas by 2026.
大堡礁是澳大利亚联邦科学与工业研究组织水质监测任务的七个试验区之一。研究小组希望在2026年前建立15个试验区。
Alex Held leads the program. He told VOA that sediments can be harmful to ocean life because they can block sunlight from the seafloor. The lack of sunlight can hurt the growth of sea plants and other organisms. Sediments can also settle on the tops of coral reefs, affecting sea life there as well.
亚历克斯·赫尔德领导该项目。他告诉美国之音，沉积物可能对海洋生物有害，因为它们会阻挡海底的阳光。缺乏阳光会损害海洋植物和其他生物的生长。沉积物也会沉积在珊瑚礁顶部，影响那里的海洋生物。
Held said the sensors and satellites will be used to measure the effectiveness of programs meant to reduce the flow, or runoff, of river sediment into the sea.
赫尔德表示，这些传感器和卫星将用于衡量旨在减少河流沉积物流入大海流量项目的有效性。
Held noted that the Australian government already operates a series of programs aimed at reducing the effects of sediments on sea life. These include efforts to keep plants growing along riverbeds and other bodies of water to help keep sediments out.
赫尔德指出，澳大利亚政府已经实施了一系列旨在减少沉积物对海洋生物影响的计划。这些措施包括努力让植物沿着河床和其他水体生长，以帮助阻挡沉积物。
Environmentalists have warned that the Great Barrier Reef faces a number of threats. These include climate change, pollution and runoff of agricultural products. The reef – which runs about 2,300 kilometers – has been on the United Nations World Heritage List since 1981.
环保人士警告说，大堡礁面临许多威胁。其中包括气候变化、污染和农产品径流。该珊瑚礁全长约2300公里，自1981年以来一直被列入联合国世界遗产名录。
I'm Bryan Lynn.
我是布莱恩·林恩。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，请勿转载，违者必究！)