标签美国下的文章

犹他州锡安国家公园的维尔京河，美国 Virgin River in Zion National Park, Utah (© Jonathan Ross/Getty)

历经百年的锡安国家公园 103 years of Zion

锡安国家公园的维珍河

我们的照片将我们带到16英里长的维珍河，在那里它穿过犹他州锡安峡谷上游，形成了一个壮观的千英尺深的峡谷。流经锡安国家公园（今天已满103岁！），由于科罗拉多高原、大盆地和莫哈韦沙漠交汇处的独特生物群落，维珍河是其他地方所没有的独特植物和动物的家园。如果没有维珍河水系的水，像世界上最稀有的物种之一的wondfin小鱼这样的生物就不可能存在。

Virgin River in Zion National Park

Our photo brings us to a 16-mile stretch of the Virgin River where it cuts a spectacular thousand-foot-deep gorge through the upper reaches of Utah's Zion Canyon. Flowing through Zion National Park (which turns 103 today!), the Virgin River is home to unique plants and animals that aren't found anywhere else, due to the unique intersection of biomes found where the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert all meet. Without the water of the Virgin River system, creatures like the woundfin minnow, one of rarest species on the planet, couldn't exist.

威拉米特国家森林麦肯齐河步道上的桥，美国 Bridge on the McKenzie River Trail, Willamette National Forest, Oregon (© Don Paulson/Danita Delimont)

徒步旅行 Take a hike!

麦肯齐河步道上的桥梁

我们的照片显示俄勒冈州的麦肯齐河国家休闲步道，威拉米特国家森林的一部分。这条小径蜿蜒于湖泊、河流和泉水之间，引导您穿过荫蔽的古老森林。其中一个亮点是可以俯瞰塔莫利奇蓝池（Tamolich Blue Pool），这是一个清澈见底的游泳池，由河水注入其中而成。

Bridge on the McKenzie River Trail

Our photo shows Oregon's McKenzie River National Recreation Trail, part of the Willamette National Forest. This trail winds by lakes, rivers, and springs, guiding you through shady old-growth forests. One highlight: the view overlooking Tamolich Blue Pool, a crystal-clear pool created by the river bubbling up into it.

梅萨维德国家公园的悬崖宫，美国 Cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, USA (© Brad McGinley Photography/Getty Images)

《保护世界文化和自然遗产公约》 A 50-year balancing act

世界遗产50年

在1972年11月16日的《世界遗产公约》上，联合国教科文组织通过了一项国际条约，首次将自然保护和文化遗产保护的概念联系起来。世界遗产项目是由埃及计划修建的阿斯旺大坝引发的，该大坝将淹没尼罗河流域的大片地区和数千件考古珍品。

梅萨维德国家公园是普埃布洛斯祖师居住了七个世纪的地方，1978年被联合国教科文组织委员会选为首批世界遗产。

50 years of World Heritage Sites

At its World Heritage Convention on November 16, 1972, UNESCO adopted an international treaty that for the first time linked the concepts of nature conservation and preservation of cultural properties. The World Heritage Sites program was sparked by Egypt's planned construction of the Aswan High Dam, which would have flooded a large swath of the Nile Valley and thousands of archeological treasures.

Mesa Verde National Park, where Ancestral Puebloans lived for seven centuries, was among the first World Heritage Sites chosen by the UNESCO committee, in 1978.

雷暴中恶地国家公园的岩层，美国南达科他州 Rock formations in Badlands National Park during a lightning storm, South Dakota (© DEEPOL by plainpicture)

恶地国家公园的一场闪电？ A Bad Lightning?

荒地国家公园

44年前的今天，南达科他州一个崎岖、荒凉的地区被指定为国家公园，以保护在陆地上发现的许多化石。该地区作为美洲原住民的狩猎场已有11000年的历史。事实上，我们今天所知道的名字Badlands来自拉科塔语“mako sica”，字面意思是“糟糕的土地”它占地近380平方英里，被严重侵蚀的岩层使它成为美国最独特的景观之一。

它还在形成！国家公园管理局表示，荒地每年侵蚀约一英寸，随着侵蚀速度的加快，侵蚀速度非常快。科学家估计，在未来50万年内，荒地将被完全侵蚀。可能想很快开始计划你的访问。

Badlands National Park

Forty-four years ago today, a rugged, inhospitable area of South Dakota was designated a national park to protect the many fossils found on the land. The area had an 11,000-year previous history as hunting grounds for Native Americans. In fact, the name we know it by today, Badlands, comes from the Lakota phrase 'mako sica,' which literally translates to 'bad lands.' Covering nearly 380 square miles, its harshly eroded rock formations make it one of the most distinct landscapes in the United States.

And it's still forming! The National Park Service says the Badlands erode about an inch every year, which is awfully fast as erosion goes. Scientists estimate that within the next half million years, the Badlands will have eroded away completely. Might want to start planning your visit soon.

1990年纽约市马拉松比赛，参赛者穿过韦拉扎诺海峡大桥 Runners in the 1990 New York City Marathon crossing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge (© David Madison/Getty Images)

跑过纽约五个行政区 Racing through the five boroughs

韦拉扎诺海峡大桥

2022年纽约市马拉松赛的路线就从这里开始，在韦拉扎诺海峡大桥，从斯塔顿岛（Staten Island）穿过布鲁克林（Brooklyn），最终穿过纽约的五个自治区。这张照片让你知道今天将有多少人跑步。因为比赛在11月的一个早晨很早就开始了，许多跑步者都穿着分层的衣服来抵御典型的寒冷。但一旦它们从跑步中升温，这些层就会脱落，经常被丢弃在人行道上。比赛组织者收集每年约26吨的遗留下来的运动装备，并将其捐赠给慈善机构。

Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge

The route for the 2022 New York City Marathon starts right here at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, crossing from Staten Island into Brooklyn, eventually coursing through all five boroughs of New York. This photo gives you an idea of just how many people will be running today. Because the race starts early on a November morning, many runners show up in layered clothing to beat the typical chill. But once they heat up from running, those layers come off and are often discarded on sidewalks. Race organizers collect the activewear left behind, about 26 tons a year, and donate it to charity.

秋季的落羽杉，美国佐治亚州 Cypress trees in autumn, Georgia (© Chris Moore/Tandem Stills + Motion)

美国南部的别样秋景 Leaf-peeping Southern style

乔治亚州的柏树

秋天的树叶是秋天的标志，当人们想到法兰绒、灯芯绒、南瓜香料和其他东西时。阳光明媚的白天和清爽的夜晚邀请我们走出去欣赏树叶的颜色变化。虽然有些人可能认为新英格兰的枫树是窥视树叶的金标准，但其他人则会把奖品授予落基山脉的白杨或南方的柏树。

佐治亚州的这些秃顶柏树变成了明亮的金色、橙色和深红色，与北方的竞争对手相媲美。大多数种类的柏树都是常绿的，但秃顶的柏树是落叶的，它们的花边针叶在秋天变成鲜艳的铜色，在冬天秋天，然后树木在春天长出一套新的针叶。秃柏原产于美国东南部，在墨西哥湾沿岸的密西西比河流域盛产。它们在路易斯安那州的河口是一个熟悉的景象，也生长在大西洋中部的沿海平原，就像这片帝王林。秃柏树在河岸和沼泽等潮湿条件下茁壮成长。这些生长缓慢的植物通常高达100英尺以上，为两栖动物、鱼类和鸟类提供了重要的栖息地，并保护海岸线免受侵蚀和洪水。如果你在一年中的这个时候来到这个地区，在温和的巨人们脱掉秋季服装之前，前往沼泽地观看秋季展览。

Bald cypress trees in Georgia

Fall foliage is the hallmark of autumn, when thoughts turn to flannel and corduroy, pumpkin spice and s'mores. Sunny days and crisp nights invite us to step outside to enjoy the changing colors of the leaves. While some may consider the maples of New England the leaf-peeping gold standard, others would give the prize to the aspens of the Rocky Mountains or the cypress trees of the South.

These bald cypress trees in Georgia turn brilliant shades of gold, orange, and crimson that rival their northern competitors. Most varieties of cypress are evergreen, but bald cypresses are deciduous—their lacy needles turn this vibrant copper color in autumn, fall in winter, then the trees grow a new set of needles in the spring. Bald cypresses are native to the southeastern US and flourish in the Mississippi River basin along the Gulf Coast. They're a familiar sight in the bayous of Louisiana and also grow in the coastal plains of the mid-Atlantic, like this regal grove. Bald cypresses thrive in wet conditions like riverbanks and swamps. Commonly reaching well over 100 feet tall, these slow growers provide important habitat for amphibians, fish, and birds, and they protect coastlines from erosion and flooding. If you're in the area this time of year, head to the swamp to see the autumn display before the gentle giants shed their fall outfits.

楚科奇海的浮游植物水华，美国阿拉斯加州海岸附近 Blooms of phytoplankton in the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska (© Norman Kuring/Kathryn Hansen/U.S. Geological Survey/NASA)

什么生长得这样茂盛？ What's blooming so brightly?

楚科奇海浮游植物的大量繁殖

在这张酷酷的照片中，数百种深浅的蓝色被大理石镶嵌在一起。不，这不是一件现代艺术作品，它是大自然的杰作。这是一张卫星照片，照片中的浮游植物在阿拉斯加附近盛开，凉爽、咸的楚科奇海与靠近海岸的温暖、新鲜的海水混合在一起。

但究竟什么是浮游植物？它们是微小的太阳能生物，漂浮在海面附近，随洋流漂流。事实上，它们的名字来源于希腊语中植物的“phyton”和流浪者或漂泊者的“planktos”。对于生活在海洋和河口的各种生物来说，浮游植物既美味又营养，对地球上的每一个人都至关重要：浮游植物的光合作用约占世界光合作用的一半，是吸收二氧化碳和释放氧气的太阳能过程。

今天我们谈论浮游植物是为了纪念地球科学周，这是一个鼓励我们所有人学习甚至献身于地球科学的国际活动。今年的主题是“地球科学促进可持续发展世界”，强调科学在维持我们的星球上的作用。所以，是时候掸掉显微镜上的灰尘，参观当地的科学博物馆，或者也许只是了解更多关于美丽的旋转浮游植物的知识。

Blooms of phytoplankton in the Chukchi Sea

Hundreds of shades of blue are marbled together in this cool shot. No, it's not a work of modern art, it's right off the brush of nature. This is a satellite photo of phytoplankton blooming near Alaska as the cool, salty Chukchi Sea mingles with warmer, fresher water closer to shore.

But just what are phytoplankton? They're microscopic sun-powered organisms that float near the surface of the ocean, drifting with the currents. In fact, their name derives from the Greek 'phyton' for plant and 'planktos' for wanderer or drifter. Delicious and nutritious to various creatures living in oceans and estuaries, they're also vital to everyone on Earth: Phytoplankton are responsible for about half of the world's photosynthesis, the sun-powered process that takes in carbon dioxide and releases oxygen.

We're talking phytoplankton today in honor of Earth Science Week, an international event encouraging all of us to learn about or even devote our life to the Earth sciences. This year's theme is 'Earth Science for a Sustainable World,' emphasizing science's role in sustaining our planet. So, time to dust off that microscope, visit your local science museum, or perhaps just learn more about beautiful, swirling phytoplankton.

一场现代化的重建 A modern recreation

The A.M. Foster covered bridge in Cabot, Vermont

At one point in history, the United States had upwards of 14,000 wooden covered bridges. Most of them were built between 1825 and 1875 to cross a stream or river and were intended to withstand the elements. An uncovered wooden bridge may have a lifespan of only about 20 years while a covered bridge could stand for more than a 100. Even still, they don't fare well without upkeep and restoration costs can be high. Iron replaced wood as the preferred and cheaper bridge-building material in the mid-1800s. These days, fewer than 900 of the original wooden covered bridges are believed to still be standing. Vermont currently has 104 of them, the highest density of remaining covered bridges in the country. The Alonzo Merrill Foster covered bridge seen in today's photo can be found in Cabot, Vermont.

The A.M. Foster bridge, named after the inventor of a type of maple spout, is located on Spaulding Farm. Don't be deceived, the Foster bridge is actually a 1990s replica of a 'farm bridge' that was built in 1890 known as the Orton Bridge. Despite being a replica, the Foster bridge was authentically constructed by hand, in collaboration with Foster's great-grandson, with spruce lumber and salvaged granite. Spanning 45 feet across a man-made pond and literally bridging the gap between two farms, it took less than 6 weeks to complete. Unfortunately, it was found to be too narrow for modern farm equipment, a miscalculation that its constructors found amusing. Still, it works well as a photo opportunity and frequent venue for weddings.

佛蒙特州卡博特的福斯特廊桥

在历史上的某个时期，美国有超过14000座木桥。这些建筑大多建于1825年至1875年之间，用于跨越溪流或河流，旨在抵御恶劣天气。一座无遮盖的木桥可能只有大约20年的寿命，而一座有遮盖的桥可以支撑100多年。即使如此，如果没有维护，它们也不会很好，修复成本可能很高。19世纪中叶，铁取代木材成为首选且更便宜的桥梁建筑材料。这些天来，据信只有不到900座原始的木制覆盖桥梁仍然屹立着。佛蒙特州目前有104座桥，是该国剩余有盖桥梁密度最高的一座。今天照片中的阿隆佐-梅里尔-福斯特（Alonzo Merrill Foster）桥位于佛蒙特州的卡伯特（Cabot）。

A.M.Foster桥位于斯波尔丁农场，以一种枫树喷口的发明者命名。别被骗了，福斯特桥实际上是一座建于1890年的“农场桥”的90年代复制品，被称为奥尔顿桥。尽管是一座复制品，但福斯特桥确实是与福斯特的曾孙合作，用云杉木材和回收的花岗岩手工建造的。它横跨一个45英尺长的人工池塘，实际上弥补了两个农场之间的差距，不到6周就完成了。不幸的是，对于现代农业设备来说，它太窄了，这是一个让建造者感到有趣的错误计算。尽管如此，作为一个拍照机会和频繁举行婚礼的场所，它仍然很管用。

水与火相遇的地方 Where fire and water meet

Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

The highest concentration of geysers and hydrothermal springs in the world are located here in this corner of Yellowstone National Park, called the Upper Geyser Basin. They include what is perhaps the most famous geyser of them all: Old Faithful. But the Upper Basin contains many other geysers as well, including the tallest predictable geyser (Grand Geyser) and the most voluminous geyser (Giant Geyser). Yellowstone contains about 300 geysers, about two-thirds the number in the entire world.

Geysers are essentially a rare form of hot spring—a water-filled tube that extends thousands of feet into the Earth's crust, so deep it makes contact with molten rock called magma. The water in the tube boils and under extreme pressure ejects the water column into the air, emptying the tube. After some time, more groundwater seeps into the tube, filling it, and starting the process over again. That's why geysers erupt at somewhat regular intervals. The bigger the tube, the more water, and the longer the eruption. Yellowstone is one of the few places in the world where you can safely walk among so many geysers and superheated springs, and view them close up. Trails and boardwalks guide the way, making the Upper Geyser Basin one of the star attractions of this famous national park.

黄石 国家公园上间歇泉盆地

世界上最密集的间歇泉和热泉位于黄石国家公园的这个角落，被称为上间歇泉盆地。其中最著名的喷泉可能是：老忠实喷泉。但上盆地也有许多其他间歇泉，包括最高的可预测间歇泉（大间歇泉）和最大的间歇泉（巨型间歇泉）。黄石公园有大约300个间歇泉，大约是全世界的三分之二。

间歇泉本质上是一种罕见的温泉，它是一种充满水的管子，伸入地壳数千英尺深，与称为岩浆的熔融岩石接触。管子中的水沸腾，在极端压力下将水柱喷射到空气中，排空管子。一段时间后，更多的地下水渗入管道，将其充满，然后重新开始这一过程。这就是间歇泉每隔一定时间喷发的原因。管子越大，水越多，喷发时间越长。黄石公园是世界上为数不多的几个可以在众多间歇泉和过热泉水之间安全漫步并近距离观看的地方之一。小径和木板人行道指引着道路，使上间歇泉盆地成为这个著名国家公园的明星景点之一。

令人印象深刻的时刻 Time to make an impression

Caribou rutting season in Alaska

It's that time of year when Alaskan caribou are beginning to feel a little frisky. From late September until early November, males will be strutting their stuff, locking antlers with one another, and competing for the attention of females in hopes of furthering the species. Successful males will mate with 15-20 females a season. After the rutting season males will shed their antlers while females keep theirs until spring. In today's photo we're looking at some caribou in southcentral Alaska crossing the Susitna River.

Alaska has 32 distinct caribou herds. It's likely today's caribou are members of the Nelchina herd, which roams across about 20,000 square miles in the high basin surrounded by the Talkeetna, Chugach, Wrangell, and Alaska ranges. The Nelchina herd is among the most studied and recognized of Alaskan caribou partly because their range is relatively close to the major human population centers of the state. The herd has provided food for Alaskans for hundreds of years and its population is maintained through carefully monitored hunting regulations. But caribou populations can fluctuate from one year to the next depending on the availability of food and severity of the weather.

阿拉斯加驯鹿发情季节

每年的这个时候，阿拉斯加驯鹿开始感到有点活泼。从9月下旬到11月初，雄性将昂首阔步，相互锁住鹿角，争夺雌性的注意力，以期进一步丰富物种。成功的雄性每季度将与15-20只雌性交配。发情期过后，雄性会脱掉鹿角，而雌性会一直保留到春天。在今天的照片中，我们看到一些驯鹿在阿拉斯加中南部穿越苏西特纳河。

阿拉斯加有32个不同的驯鹿群。今天的北美驯鹿很可能是Nelchina鹿群的成员，它们在塔基特纳山脉、楚加赫山脉、朗格尔山脉和阿拉斯加山脉环绕的高盆地中漫游，占地约20000平方英里。Nelchina驯鹿群是阿拉斯加驯鹿中研究和认识最多的驯鹿群之一，部分原因是它们的分布范围相对接近该州的主要人口中心。数百年来，牧群一直为阿拉斯加人提供食物，通过仔细监测狩猎法规来维持种群数量。但是驯鹿的数量可能会随着食物的供应和天气的恶劣程度而在一年到另一年之间波动。

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