The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says changes in ocean temperature are the leading cause of coral bleaching around the world.
美国国家海洋和大气管理局（NOAA）表示，海洋温度的变化是世界各地珊瑚白化的主要原因。
From Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to the waters of Florida, it happens when warm water causes corals to expel their colorful algae and turn white.
从澳大利亚的大堡礁到佛罗里达州的水域，当温暖的海水导致珊瑚排出彩色藻类并变白时，就会发生这种情况。
Derek Manzello is the head of Coral Reef Watch, which is part of NOAA. He said at least 35 countries and territories across five oceans and seas reported coral bleaching.
德里克·曼泽洛 (Derek Manzello) 是 NOAA 旗下珊瑚礁观察组织的负责人。他说，五个大洋中至少有 35 个国家和地区报告了珊瑚白化现象。
He said that by the year 2040, all of the world’s coral will suffer from bleaching if water temperatures do not cool. He said coral needs extended periods of cooler water to recover from bleaching. If the water does not cool, he said, “the corals aren’t going to have a chance to recover.”
他说，到2040年，如果水温不降温，世界上所有的珊瑚都将遭受白化。他说珊瑚需要长时间的凉爽水才能从白化中恢复过来。他说，如果水不冷却，“珊瑚就没有机会恢复。”
But in the Gulf of Mexico, about 160 kilometers south of Galveston, Texas, a large coral reef is still doing well.
但在德克萨斯州加尔维斯顿以南约160公里的墨西哥湾，一大片珊瑚礁仍然状况良好。
The reef is part of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. The reef formation covers over 400 square kilometers. It started with just two reef areas, called banks, in 1992. It now has 17 banks. It is described as undersea mountains of yellow, orange and pink coral as far as the eye can see.
该礁石是花园岸国家海洋保护区的一部分。珊瑚礁面积超过400平方公里。1992 年，它开始时只有两个珊瑚礁区（称为浅滩）。现在有 17 个浅滩。它被描述为一望无际的黄色、橙色和粉红色珊瑚的海底山脉。
Michelle Johnston oversees the protected marine area for the federal government. She said seeing that much coral in one place is “magnificent” and rare.
米歇尔约翰斯顿为联邦政府负责监督海洋保护区。她说，在一个地方看到这么多珊瑚是“壮观的”且罕见的。
Johnston said fishermen used to tell the story of a colorful area in the Gulf of Mexico far from shore 100 years ago. But, scientists were uncertain that a coral reef could exist in such deep water. When divers finally reached the reef in the 1960s, they were surprised to find marine life. Johnston said the plants and animals do so well because the reef formed on top of mountain-like salt domes, high enough to catch sunlight.
约翰斯顿说，100 年前，渔民们常常讲述墨西哥湾远离海岸的色彩缤纷地区的故事。但是，科学家们不确定如此深的水中是否可能存在珊瑚礁。20 世纪 60 年代，当潜水员最终到达珊瑚礁时，他们惊讶地发现了海洋生物。约翰斯顿说，动植物生长得很好，因为珊瑚礁形成在像山一样的盐丘顶部，高度足以捕捉阳光。
During the recent summer of record-breaking heat, Johnston said, the reef did experience some bleaching but nothing as serious as in other parts of the world. But that does not mean the reef in the Gulf of Mexico is not vulnerable to climate change. She is concerned about the area getting too hot and the coral dying off.
约翰斯顿说，在最近破纪录的夏季，珊瑚礁确实经历了一些白化，但没有世界其他地方那么严重。但这并不意味着墨西哥湾的珊瑚礁不会受到气候变化的影响。她担心该地区变得太热和珊瑚死亡。
Officials who watch over Flower Garden Banks say the reef has suffered more serious bleaching in the past, but its depth and health helped it recover. The reef is deeper – 18 meters - than many others that are often just offshore.
负责监管花园岸的官员表示，珊瑚礁过去曾遭受过更严重的白化，但其深度和健康状况帮助其恢复。该礁石比近海的许多其他礁石更深，达 18 米。
Andy Lewis of Houston, Texas first saw the reef about 10 years ago. He loved it so much that he became an expert diver and started a company that leads dives to Flower Garden Banks.
德克萨斯州休斯顿的安迪·刘易斯 (Andy Lewis) 大约 10 年前第一次看到了这片珊瑚礁。他非常喜欢它，因此成为了一名专业潜水员，并创办了一家公司，提供前往花园浅滩的潜水服务。
“It’s just a real adventure,” he said.
“这只是一次真正的冒险，”他说。
Scientists are working to help the reefs stay healthy. For example, boats are not permitted to anchor themselves to the reefs. They must connect to special floating cables to stay in one place. Other workers help remove invasive fish and creatures from the area.
科学家们正在努力帮助珊瑚礁保持健康。例如，不允许船只在珊瑚礁上抛锚。它们必须连接到特殊的浮动电缆才能留在一处。其他工作人员帮助清除该地区的入侵鱼类和生物。
Kelly Drinnen is an education and outreach specialist for the Flower Garden Banks. She said, “because coral reefs are declining all over the globe, when we find ones that are healthy, we want to keep them that way.” Drinnen added that they could also provide information that can help other reefs stay healthy or recover from bleaching.
Kelly Drinnen 是花园银行的教育和外展专家。她说：“由于全球范围内的珊瑚礁正在减少，当我们发现健康的珊瑚礁时，我们希望保持它们的状态。” Drinnen 补充说，他们还可以提供帮助其他珊瑚礁保持健康或从白化中恢复的信息。
In 2010, the Flower Garden Banks corals were not damaged by the large oil spill that followed the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Other reefs in the Gulf of Mexico were. So, researchers are using data from the reef to help guide the restoration of the damaged ones.
2010年，深水地平线爆炸后发生的大规模漏油事件并未对花园岸珊瑚造成损害。墨西哥湾的其他珊瑚礁也是如此。因此，研究人员正在利用珊瑚礁的数据来帮助指导受损珊瑚的恢复。
Researchers are also comparing the genetics of Flower Garden Banks corals to corals in other parts of the world. And they hope to grow and possibly replant them in other places.
研究人员还将花园岸珊瑚的遗传学与世界其他地区的珊瑚进行比较。他们希望能够种植它们，并可能将它们重新种植到其他地方。
