英文閱讀3——How to weigh a whale without a scale

文章中將會出現的生詞：

weigh：vt/vi稱……的質量；vt權衡

calf：n腿肚子，幼崽，（calf複數為calves）

conundrum：n謎，難題

aerial：adj空氣中的，存在於；n天氣

drone：n無人機，雄蜂，嗡嗡的聲音，懶惰者；vi嗡嗡作聲，混日子；vt低沉地說

volume：n冊，體積，音量

mass：n質量，大量，群眾；adj大規模的，群眾的；vi/vt聚集

strand：vi擱淺；vt使擱淺，使陷於困境；n海濱，線，串

gear：n用具，齒輪；vi換擋，搭配；vt使搭配，使興奮起來，使準備好

breeding：n繁殖，飼養，再生，教養

girth：n周長，圍長；vt圍繞；vi圍長為

estimate：vt/vi估計；n估計

parameter：n參數，因素

pygmy：n侏儒；adj矮小的

collaboration：n合作，通敵

outline：n大綱；vt概述

How to weigh a whale without a scale如何在沒有磅秤的情況下給鯨魚稱重

By Helen Briggs

Southern right whale mother and calf

How do you weigh the largest animals on the planet? 您如何稱量地球上最大的動物？

Until now it has only been possible to weigh whales once they have washed up dead on beaches. 到目前為止，只有在鯨魚被衝到海灘上時才能稱重。

Now scientists have solved the conundrum, with the help of aerial photographs taken by drones. 現在，科學家藉助無人機拍攝的航空照片解決了這個難題。

Their model accurately calculated the body volume and mass of wild southern right whales. Already being used to assess the survival of calves, it has many potential uses in conservation. 他們的模型準確地計算了野生南部露脊鯨的體形和質量。它已經被用於評估幼鯨的存活，在（鯨魚）保護方面有許多潛在的用途。

Body mass is a key factor in the success of whales as a group, determining their energy uses, food requirements and growth rates. 體重是鯨類成群成功的關鍵因素，它決定了它們的能量消耗，食物需求和增長率。

Yet most of what we know about the body size of whales comes from old whaling literature or from animals that end up stranded on the beach or caught in fishing gear. 然而，我們對鯨魚體型的了解大部分來自古老的捕鯨文獻，或者來自最終擱淺在沙灘上或被漁具捕撈的動物。

"It is very difficult to measure a whale on a scale - I mean you have to kill it to do it and that's exactly what we're avoiding here," said study researcher Fredrik Christiansen from the Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies in Denmark. 丹麥奧爾胡斯高級研究所的研究人員弗雷德裡克·克裡斯蒂安森說：「在磅秤上測量鯨魚非常困難-我的意思是你要殺死它，這就是我們要避免的事情。」

The researchers studied southern right whales, which gather in large numbers at their winter breeding grounds off the coast of Argentina. 研究人員研究了南部露脊鯨，這些鯨在阿根廷沿海的冬季繁殖場大量聚集。

They flew a drone over whales swimming in clear water, capturing photographs when the adults and calves came up to the surface to breathe, including their backs and sides when they rolled over. 他們把一架無人駕駛飛機放飛到在清澈的水中遊泳的鯨魚上，當成年鯨和幼鯨浮出水面呼吸時，拍攝照片，包括他們翻身時的背部和側面。

From these, they were able to obtain length, width and height measurements for 86 individuals. 從中，他們能夠獲得86位個體的長度，寬度和高度測量值。

They found they could get a good representation of the body shape of the whales, which they linked back to old whaling literature recording body length, girth and mass. They were then able to convert body shapes, or volumes, to mass. 他們發現他們可以很好地反映鯨魚的身體形態，並將其與記錄鯨魚身長，周長和體重的古老捕鯨文獻聯繫起來。然後，他們能夠將身體形狀或體積轉換為質量。

"The ability to predict body mass from free-living whales opens up the opportunity for us to look at animals over time and look at how they change, how they grow," said Prof Christiansen. 克裡斯蒂安森教授說：「從自由生活的鯨魚預測體重的能力為我們提供了一個機會，讓我們可以隨著時間的推移觀察動物，觀察它們的變化，生長方式。」

Flying drones off the coast of Península Valdés, Argentina阿根廷PenínsulaValdés海岸上空飛行的無人機

Drone studies could help in conservation by monitoring the health of different whale populations in the oceans. 無人機研究可以通過監測海洋中不同鯨魚種群的健康狀況來幫助進行保護。

The approach could also be used to estimate the size of other marine mammals by adjusting the model parameters. 該方法還可用於通過調整模型參數來估計其他海洋哺乳動物的大小。

Baleen whales are the largest animals on this planet, ranging from the 3,500kg pygmy right whale to the 190,000kg blue whale. 鬚鯨是這個星球上最大的動物，範圍從3500公斤侏儒露脊鯨鯨到190,000公斤藍鯨。

Their body mass is central to their success as an animal group. 他們的體重對於他們作為動物群體的成功至關重要。

The researchwas carried out in collaboration with the Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Programme in Argentina and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the US. 這項研究是與阿根廷的南部露脊鯨健康監測計劃和美國的伍茲霍爾海洋學研究所合作進行的。

The work is outlined in the British Ecological Society journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution (MEE). 這項工作在英國生態學會雜誌《生態與進化方法》（MEE）中進行了概述。

英文原文來源於BBC，作者Helen Briggs，中文翻譯及生詞整理由「英文科學文章閱讀」製作

今天給大家分享的航拍測量鯨魚體重的一篇文章。也許我們也可以引進或者自己開發這種技術，升級一下用於監控海洋漁場的魚群數量，提升捕魚的效率，合理安排捕魚周期，或者用於長江江豚的質量監控和保護（真的可惜白鰭豚已經滅絕了）。大家對這個技術有什麼看法呢？歡迎在評論區留言。