时差N小时 过度捕鲸的危害超乎想象!(上)

（单词翻译）

Until recently, when scientists studied changes in open-ocean ecosystems¹,

直到最近，当科学家们在研究开放海洋生态系统的变化时，

they looked at changes in the bottom of the food chain that gradually make their way to the top, like food shortages and shifts in the ocean environment.

他们观察了位于食物链最底层且不断上升的生物的变化，例如食物短缺、海洋环境变化。

A recent study, however, suggests that more attention needs to be given to top-down influences as well.

然而，最近一项调查显示，人们还应该更加关注（食物链）自上而下的影响。

For example, over the past few decades, there's been a major collapse² of the populations of harbor seals, fur seals, sea lions, and sea otters³ living on the coasts of western Alaska.

例如，在过去的几十年里，生活在阿拉斯加西海岸的斑海豹、海狗、海狮和海獭数量锐减。

Now a new study suggests that all this destruction can be traced back to humans overfishing sperm⁴ and baleen⁵ whales between 1946 and 1979.

现在，一项新的调查显示，所有的这些毁坏皆可归咎于人类在1946年到1979年间过度捕捞抹香鲸和须鲸。