最深鲸类“大墓地”被发现！“鲸落”用英语怎么说？
双语君约 4 分钟在中国科学院深海科学与工程研究所主导下，“全球深渊探索计划”科研团队在东南印度洋迪亚曼蒂纳深渊，发现全球已知最深、规模最大的鲸类化石群和鲸落生态系统，并揭示该区域自530万年前至今一直是鲸类的“大墓地”。相关论文成果6月10日在线发表于国际学术期刊《自然》。
Scientists have discovered the world's deepest and largest collection of whale remains on the ocean floor, a site they call a "whale necropolis".
necropolis /nəˈkrɒpəlɪs/ 大墓地
Located in the Diamantina Zone of the southeastern Indian Ocean, at depths of up to 7,000 meters, the find includes both ancient fossils and active whale-fall ecosystems that have been forming for at least 5.3 million years.
The study, conducted by the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering (IDSSE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with the University of Pisa in Italy and Earth Sciences New Zealand in Wellington, has been published in the latest issue of the journal Nature.
鲸落（whale fall）是鲸类死后沉至海底所形成的特有海洋生态系统，正所谓“一鲸落，万物生”。过去，人类对鲸落的认识主要依赖零星的观测记录，最深的一例鲸落发现于西南大西洋，水深4204米。
Whale falls occur when dead whales sink to the seabed. These carcasses create rich, temporary habitats for deep-sea creatures, supporting everything from bone-eating worms to sea stars. Until now, most known whale falls were found at depths of less than 4,000 meters, with the deepest active site recorded at 4,204 meters.
carcass /ˈkɑːkəs/ 尸体
2023年，研究团队使用“奋斗者”号载人潜水器，在延绵1200公里的迪亚曼蒂纳深渊开展32次下潜作业，记录了5处“活着”的鲸落、476处鲸类化石堆积。其中一处包含三枚喙鲸椎骨，是目前已知最深的鲸落生态系统，水深6789米。由已发现鲸类遗骸密度推测，该深渊鲸类残骸数量可能超过1000万具。此次记录的鲸类化石种类包括现生喙鲸和已灭绝喙鲸。锶同位素定年数据显示，这些鲸类化石最早可追溯至530万年前，表明迪亚曼蒂纳深渊数百万年以来持续存在鲸落事件。
In 2023, a team led by the IDSSE carried out 32 dives using the manned deep-sea submersible Fendouzhe (Striver), aboard the research vessel Tansuo-1. They explored a 1,200-kilometer stretch of the Diamantina Zone and found five active whale falls and 476 fossil sites, ranging from 4,616 to 7,001 meters deep.
Among the active whale falls, one site consisting of three beaked whale vertebrae at a depth of 6,789 meters represents the deepest active whale-fall ecosystem ever recorded.
Using strontium isotope dating, researchers confirmed that the fossils there date back at least 5.3 million years to the Early Pliocene.
据介绍，此项研究由中国科学院深海科学与工程研究所主导完成，合作单位包括意大利比萨大学、新西兰地球科学研究所。研究将鲸落的水深纪录大幅拓展，其深度、规模和时间跨度均刷新了现有认知，为研究古鲸的早期演化历史、古生态学及种群动态提供了独特窗口。同时，研究还改变了科学界对鲸落生态系统分布极限与生物地理分区的认知。
"This study extends the known depth record of whale falls from 4,200 meters to nearly 7,000 meters. Its depth, scale and temporal span all push beyond existing knowledge, providing a unique window into the early evolutionary history, paleoecology and population dynamics of ancient whales," noted Song Xikun, an associate professor at the IDSSE.
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