丽贝卡·史密斯12岁，研究史前气候变化，以更好地预测未来世界

For most of us, visiting a beautiful setting in Maine means taking in the views, basking in the sun, and perhaps looking out for local wildlife. Becky Smith thinks a bit differently. When she’s out in the natural world, 她更感兴趣的是知道那个特定的地方在数百万年前是什么样子. 

贝琪对科学的兴趣最初出现在韦恩弗莱特的天体物理学和海洋生物学选修课上. 贝基认为这两门由教育家大卫·沃恩和温迪·柯蒂斯教授的课程激发了她对地球科学的兴趣. Alice Brock had also inspired a passion for Russian history, 这使得贝琪考虑在大学阶段新巴黎人注册网站这门学科. Bates College offered her a soccer recruitment, 然而, and since the school didn’t offer a Russian history program, Becky decided to study geology. 

During her time at Bates, Becky conducted fieldwork in the deserts of California, 内华达, 德州, and Mexico, 最终在蒙大拿州进行更密集的实地测绘, 她在哪里测量了特定地区岩层的年龄和空间分布. (由此绘制的地图揭示了一个地区在数百万到数十亿年的地质时间里是如何变化的.而能源公司在寻找新油田时也会进行这类研究, Becky was in it purely for the science. “It was such a new experience, and I just loved it,” she recalls. 

贝基的本科研究也集中在粪化石(粪便化石)上。, 尤其是那些几千年前由现已灭绝的巨型树懒留下的. By examining coprolites, 研究人员可以重建树懒曾经生活过的环境细节. Becky was intrigued. “This was just the coolest thing,” she says. “我开始意识到，我真的很好奇数百万年前的地球是什么样子的.” 

After earning her geology degree, with supplemental coursework in geochemistry and paleobiology, 贝基进入马萨诸塞大学阿姆赫斯特分校攻读研究生课程. 她开始研究古代浮游植物的化石残骸，以重建洋流随时间的变化. 

Phytoplankton, which are responsible for generating half of the planet’s oxygen, are microscopic organisms that live in the surface ocean. When these tiny marine creatures die, their organic compounds descend to the ocean floor, where they leave behind a lipid (oil) residue. Over millions of years, 这些有机化合物——被称为生物标记物——在海底的沉积层中积累. 因为浮游植物会根据不同的海洋温度调整它们的化学成分, 来自温暖的地表水的脂质含有不同的有机化合物 cold waters. By extracting lipid samples from marine sediments, 古气候学家和生物地球化学家可以了解源生物曾经生活过的海洋温度. 的se lipids, 每隔几厘米就从深海沉积物岩心中收集到什么, 使科学家能够重建数百万年来海洋表面温度的变化. “It’s intriguing work,” Becky says. “By studying these periods, 新巴黎人注册网站将能够更好地了解地球上的基线气候行为, 这提高了气候模型预测新巴黎人注册网站未来走向的能力.” 

作为国际海洋探索计划的一部分，贝基最近在南太平洋中部完成了为期九周的研究考察. 的 JOIDES Resolution, a 470-foot-long research vessel, sailed to the area of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the only ocean current on Earth unimpeded by continents. 的 ACC moves rapidly around Antarctica, mixing and redistributing currents and heat between the Pacific, 大西洋, and Indian Oceans. “的 ACC essentially works as a gigantic mixing bowl, pumping ocean currents around the world,” says Becky. “It has a substantial influence on global climate.”

直到最近，地质学家们还认为ACC太偏远，无法进行研究(该地区是众所周知的地球上风暴最频繁的地区之一)。. Despite these challenges, 钻芯工人从船上的钻井平台铺设了三英里长的管道，一直延伸到海底, 然后再深入300米深处提取古代沉积物样本. 的 crew often had to conduct its precise work in rough seas. “钻井人员使用的类比是用一根绳子从帝国大厦顶部击中一角硬币, “ says Becky. “It’s remarkable what they’re able to do.” 

贝琪在船上的化学实验室完成了一些初步分析, the real work begins onshore. 2020年1月，贝基和她的同事们将在德克萨斯大学a分校参加一个“抽样派对”&M University. 每位科学家都会从他们感兴趣的特定岩心中收集样本, then bring them back to their home universities for analysis. 尽管他们将使用这些核心样本来独立测试他们的假设, researchers will continue to collaborate, staying in regular contact through videoconferencing.

科学家们的努力最终将产生一份完整的南太平洋中部气候记录，以及过去500万到800万年间太平洋环流的动态. 这些研究将为气候建模者在类似于现代的CO下重建地球历史时期提供关键信息2 conditions. 为了了解人类影响下的气候走向, 模型需要包含关于地球如何长期运行的信息. 

In her work with fellow scientists from around the world, 贝基了解到，美国是少数几个对气候变化持重大怀疑态度的国家之一. “不管个人意见如何，变化已经在发生，”她说. “生活在贫穷沿海社区的人们，他们没有发言权，也没有经济手段来适应，他们已经因为海平面上升而流离失所.” Many denialists argue that climate change is cyclic—that CO2 在很长的时间尺度上是不同的，新巴黎人注册网站今天看到的并没有什么不同寻常的. While climate change does follow cyclic patterns, 科学数据显示，自工业革命开始以来，地球的周期与正常周期存在巨大偏差. 在自然循环的背景下，地球实际上应该进入冰期. “人类正在以前所未有的速度造成全球变暖，”贝基说. “Most species are not able to adapt to this rate of change.“全球变暖不是破坏地球，地球实际上非常有弹性. “新巴黎人注册网站真正应该担心的是物种和生态系统的破坏.”