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美国国家公共电台 NPR New Report Shows Weather Disasters In 2017 Cost More Than $300 Billion

时间:2018-01-11 03:02:41

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KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:

Before it got cold this winter, it was warm - very warm. In fact, new data out today shows 2017 was the third-warmest year recorded in the lower 48 states. And it was also a record-breaking year for the cost of weather disasters. Sixteen weather events each broke the billion-dollar barrier. NPR's Christopher Joyce reports on the weather that was.

CHRISTOPHER JOYCE, BYLINE1: Last year was 2.6 degrees Fahrenheit2 warmer than the average year during the 20th century. That may be hard to remember in the thick of winter, but climate scientist Deke Arndt points out that even in a warm year, we still have frigid3 weather that invades from the north.

DEKE ARNDT: We still have very cold poles, and we still have the same weather systems that pull cold air away from those poles into places where we live.

JOYCE: Arndt is part of a team at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric4 Administration that assesses each year's weather and climate. They also tally5 the cost of bad weather. And last year was pricey. NOAA researcher Adam Smith says the cost of these events was unprecedented6.

ADAM SMITH: The cumulative7 impact of the 16 events exceed $300 billion in damage, which is a new U.S. annual record.

JOYCE: There was of course the trinity of horrible hurricanes - Harvey, Irma and Maria. But there was also flooding in California last February followed by ferocious8 late-year fires. There were hailstorms in Colorado and Minnesota and three tornado9 outbreaks. There was drought and fire in the Plains states.

NOAA's assessment10 acknowledges that part of the rising disaster toll11 is due to people building more homes and businesses in vulnerable places. That's especially true with recent losses from wildfires and hurricanes. But NOAA's Deke Arndt notes that a warmer world clearly makes some weather worse.

ARNDT: Heat waves - there's their duration, their intensity12. Their frequency is going up.

JOYCE: As is the frequency of very heavy rainfalls. Oceanographer Antonio Busalacchi says climate models predict more of the same.

ANTONIO BUSALACCHI: The trend is there. It's clearly evident. We are on an upward and warming slope.

JOYCE: One that increasingly worries not only scientists but insurance companies.

BUSALACCHI: Where is the risk in the future going to be from regional sea level rise and rainfall flooding, et cetera?

JOYCE: Busalacchi runs the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. He says many scientists who work for him are taking on a new task - advising insurance companies on how to lower those risks as the climate keeps warming. Christopher Joyce, NPR News.


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1 byline sSXyQ     
n.署名;v.署名
参考例句:
  • His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
  • We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。
2 Fahrenheit hlhx9     
n./adj.华氏温度;华氏温度计(的)
参考例句:
  • He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
  • The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。
3 frigid TfBzl     
adj.寒冷的,凛冽的;冷淡的;拘禁的
参考例句:
  • The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨,他在下面呆不了太长时间。
  • She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。
4 atmospheric 6eayR     
adj.大气的,空气的;大气层的;大气所引起的
参考例句:
  • Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
  • Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。
5 tally Gg1yq     
n.计数器,记分,一致,测量;vt.计算,记录,使一致;vi.计算,记分,一致
参考例句:
  • Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
  • The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。
6 unprecedented 7gSyJ     
adj.无前例的,新奇的
参考例句:
  • The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
  • A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。
7 cumulative LyYxo     
adj.累积的,渐增的
参考例句:
  • This drug has a cumulative effect.这种药有渐增的效力。
  • The benefits from eating fish are cumulative.吃鱼的好处要长期才能显现。
8 ferocious ZkNxc     
adj.凶猛的,残暴的,极度的,十分强烈的
参考例句:
  • The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
  • The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。
9 tornado inowl     
n.飓风,龙卷风
参考例句:
  • A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
  • The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。
10 assessment vO7yu     
n.评价;评估;对财产的估价,被估定的金额
参考例句:
  • This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
  • What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何?
11 toll LJpzo     
n.过路(桥)费;损失,伤亡人数;v.敲(钟)
参考例句:
  • The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
  • The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。
12 intensity 45Ixd     
n.强烈,剧烈;强度;烈度
参考例句:
  • I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
  • The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

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