标签爱达荷下的文章

千泉州立公园的瀑布，美国爱达荷州 Waterfall in Thousand Springs State Park, Hagerman Valley, Idaho (© knowlesgallery/Getty Images)

什么是地球上最珍贵的资源？ Earth's most precious resource?

World Water Day

You can almost hear the crash and feel the spray of this pristine cluster of waterfalls in southern Idaho. Could there be a better place to celebrate World Water Day? Since 1993, the UN has dedicated March 22 to advocate for sustainable management of freshwater resources and bring attention to topics relevant to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene. Each year has emphasized a different aspect of this critical resource, with themes like 'Valuing Water,' 'Water and Climate Change,' 'Water and Jobs,' and 'Why Waste Water?' This year's theme is 'Groundwater—Making the Invisible Visible.'

Groundwater surfaces in spectacular fashion here at Thousand Springs State Park, located in a beautiful corner of Idaho—the aptly named Magic Valley. The springs here are fed by the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer, one of the largest aquifers in the United States, about the size of Lake Erie. The groundwater in the aquifer travels from its source just 1 to 10 feet per day and can take 150 to 250 years to flow into Thousand Springs and the Snake River.

世界水日

你几乎可以听到撞击声，感受到爱达荷州南部这片原始瀑布群的喷射声。有更好的地方庆祝世界水日吗？自1993年以来，联合国一直致力于3月22日倡导淡水资源的可持续管理，并提请人们注意与清洁水、卫生和个人卫生相关的话题。每年都会强调这一关键资源的不同方面，主题包括“重视水”、“水与气候变化”、“水与就业”以及“为什么要浪费水？”今年的主题是“地下水让看不见的东西看得见”

千泉州立公园位于爱达荷州一个美丽的角落，名字恰如其分的魔法谷，这里的地下水以壮观的方式浮出水面。这里的泉水来自东部蛇平原含水层，这是美国最大的含水层之一，大约有伊利湖那么大。含水层中的地下水每天从源头流出仅1至10英尺，需要150至250年才能流入千泉和蛇河。

锯齿国家森林里的海狸坝，爱达荷州 Beaver dam in the Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho (© Charles Knowles/Alamy)

Beaver achievers

Don't get distracted by the awesome top half of today's photo. The postcard appeal of Idaho's Sawtooth Range is undeniable, but our focus today is on the humble structure at the bottom.

Beaver dams like this can be found coast to coast in the United States and Canada, and now is the time of year when these industrious rodents put in extra time to reinforce their dams. Listening closely for trickles of running water, they patch compromised sections with logs and mud, securing their habitat for the chilly winter. And their efforts have important downstream effects: Beaver dams help prevent floods by slowing water flows, and also filter out sediment to create cleaner streams and rivers.

Gem-state views

Idaho is called the Gem State for the its abundance of precious and semi-precious gems, but the moniker could also apply to its many lesser-known, yet spectacular natural landmarks–hidden gems like you see on today's homepage. This is Baron Lake in the rugged Sawtooth Wilderness of central Idaho. It's just a snippet of the nearly 5 million acres of designated wilderness that belong to the Gem State. Other highlights include Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America—at 8,000 feet deep, it surpasses even the Grand Canyon. And in southern Idaho you'll find Shoshone Falls, which towers 45 feet higher than Niagara Falls, earning it the nickname Niagara of the West.

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