Nortliern Forests Rev up Carbon Cycle
北部森林加快碳循环
Northern forests are not just surviving but thriving.
北方森林不仅仅幸存下来，而且生长旺盛。
Ecosystem productivity is rising at high latitudes, with a roughly 50% increase in the amount of carbon cycling through northern landscapes since the 1950s,
在高纬度地区生态系统生产率正在上升。根据今天发表在《科学》杂志上的一篇关于大气二氧化碳趋势的分析，
according to an analysis of atmospherics carbon dioxide trends published today in Science.
自20世纪50年代以来北 部风景区的碳循环数量大约增长了50%。
Boreal forests in particular have shown marked increases in carbon uptake during summer.
特别是北方森林，在整个夏天碳的吸收量有了显著增长。
"Something quite massive is taking place on large parts of the landscape that are not directly impacted by humans,"
研究者拉尔夫·吉林说：“大自然里发生的一些相当大规模的事件 没有受到人类直接的影响。”
says study coauthor Ralph Keeling, a geochemist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California,
他是位于加州拉霍亚的斯克里普斯海洋研究所的一名地球化学家，
which runs a CO2 monitoring programme at Hawaii's Mauna Loa Observatory.
同时他也在夏威夷的莫纳罗亚山天文台进行一项二氧化碳监测计划。
The research examines large seasonal swings in atmospheric CO2 levels in the Northern Hemisphere, which is home to the bulk of Earth's land.
这项研究检测了北半球大气中二氧化碳水平大量季节性波动，这里拥有大部分的地球陆地。
Each spring, dormant plants awaken and begin taking in CO2 to fuel photosynthesis.
每年春天休眠的植物苏醒，并利用二氧化碳作为原料来进行光合作用。
The pendulum reverses in autumn, when the release of CO2 increases as leaves fall and photosynthesis gives way to respiration by plants and microbes.
在秋天就会反过来，随着叶子的掉落，释放的二氧化碳会增加，这样光合作用就变成了植物和微生物的呼吸作用。
Researchers compared detailed aerial measurements of atmospheric CO2 levels taken in 2009-11 with data from an aerial survey conducted in 1958-61
研究人员将2009年至2011年间大气中二氧化碳含量详细的空气 测量指标与从1958年到1961年间的空气调查数据，
and observations from Mauna Loa and a second long term monitoring site in Barrow, Alaska.
以及来自于莫纳罗亚山和第二个在阿拉斯加巴罗的长期监测站点所观察的数据进行比较。
The results suggest that the amplitude of the annual C02 swing has increased over time and continues to rise today, despite growing concerns about the vulnerability of northern forests to pests and fires.
结果表明，每年二氧化碳的波动振幅都在逐年上升，并且目前仍在持续上升，尽管越来越多的人开始关注北部森林在抵御虫害和火灾时的不足。
"Everybody hears about negative feedbacks on the carbon cycle, but this study shows that the activity of the biosphere is increasing in spite of climate change. "
“每个人都听说了碳循环的负反馈，但这项研究表明，尽管气候发 生了变化，生物的活动仍在加剧。”
says Philippe Ciais，a carboncycle researcher at the Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences at Gif-sur- Yvette，France，who was not ivolved in the research.
法国伊凡特气候和环境科学实验室的研究员菲利普·西艾斯说，但他没有参与这项研究。
