Tons Of Methane Gas Could Be Trapped Under Antarctica

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1、BOBDOUGHTY:ThisisSCIENCEINTHENEWS,inVOASpecialEnglish.I’mBobDoughty.SHIRLEYGRIFFITH:AndI’mShirleyGriffith.Today,wetellaboutmethanegasthoughttobetrappedunderice-coveredareasofAntarctica.WealsotellaboutthegrowinguseofgenericdrugsinfightingHIV,thevirusresponsi

2、bleforAIDS.AndwehaveareportonthesearchforaneffectivevaccineagainstHIV.(MUSIC)BOBDOUGHTY:Aninternationalteamofscientistshasfoundthatuptofourbilliontonsofmethanegascouldbetrappedunderice-coveredareasofAntarctica.Thescientistssayextremelysmallorganismsmayhavec

3、hangedancientorganicmatterintomethane.Andtheysayifenoughicemelts,itispossiblethatenoughofthegascouldescapeandaddtothewarmingofEarth’satmosphere.JemimaWadhamofBristolUniversityinBritaindirectedthestudy.Shesaystheamountoforganiccarbonrecordedismorethantentime

4、sthesizeofallcarbonsuppliesinEarth’snorthernpermafrostareas.ThejournalNaturepublishedherreportaboutthefindings.SandraArndtalsoworkedonthestudy.Atthetime,shewaswithUtrechtUniversityinTheNetherlands.Shesaysthehighpressureandcoldtemperaturesundertheicemakegood

5、conditionsforformingmethanehydrate.Andshesaysitwasnotsurprisingthatthestudyconfirmedthepresenceofmethanehydrate.Thesubstanceisasolidsimilartoice.Itisformedwhenmethanegetstrappedwithinastructureofwatermolecules.SHIRLEYGRIFFITH:ThecontinentofAntarcticaismainl

6、yovertheSouthPole,almosttotallysouthoftheArcticCircle.Thescientistssaytheorganicmaterialcamefromaperiodthirtyfivemillionyearsago.Atthattime,Antarcticawasmuchwarmerthantodayandcontainedlifeforms.ResearcherSlawekTulaczykoftheUniversityofCaliforniaatSantaBarba

7、radescribedhowmethaneformed.Shesaidsomeoftheorganicmaterialbecametrappedinmaterialthathadfallentothebottom.Shesaidthesesediments,inherwords,werethen“cutofffromtherestoftheworldwhentheicesheetgrew.”ThescientistssayfiftypercentoftheWestAntarcticicesheetandtwe

8、nty-fivepercentoftheEastAntarcticsheetareonsedimentarybasins.Theysaidtheseareasholdabouttwentyonebilliontonsofcarbon.BOBDOUGHTY:TheAntarcticIceSheetcoversland,butnotthesurroundingsea.Methanehydratesare