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When Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, the injection of sulfur particles into the atmosphere cooled the planet. Taking inspiration from nature, some scientists have begun studying whether a man-made injection of such sulfate aerosols might stave off the worst of global warming. But could the technology also be used more locally to beat the heat?
1991年皮納圖博火山噴發時，注入大氣的硫粒子冷卻了這個星球。科學家們從大自然汲取靈感，開始研究人工向大氣釋放硫酸鹽氣溶膠是否會阻止氣候變暖。然而這種技術也能更廣泛地應用于對抗炎熱嗎？
That's the question explored by three U.C.L.A. scientists in a manuscript submitted to the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. Back in 2006, California endured a heat wave that lasted more than two weeks. The scientists ran a computer model to determine whether putting particles 12-kilometers up could cool the Golden State under such conditions.
這是加州大學洛杉磯分校科學家在提交給大氣物理化學雜志的手稿上所探索的問題？早在2006年，加州遭遇了持續兩個多星期的高溫熱浪。于是科學家們設計了一個電腦模型，以確定向一萬二千米的高空輸送硫粒子會不會降低這個黃金州的氣溫。
The answer appears to be yes. Afternoon temperatures declined significantly in conjunction with the amount of particles boosted to the stratosphere. For example, emitting aerosols at rates of 30 micrograms per meter-squared yielded temperature decreases of roughly 7 degrees Celsius during the hottest part of the day.
結果似乎是肯定的。隨著一定數量的粒子進入大氣層，當天下午溫度急劇下降。例如，當氣溶膠的排放速率為三十微克每平方米時，在一天中最熱的時候氣溫下降了大約7攝氏度。
It's unclear how exactly the sulfate aerosols would get to the stratosphere absent a volcanic eruption. There would be effects downwind in the desert Southwest, including potentially even less rain. And the sulfates might eat away at the protective ozone layer.
在沒有火山爆發的情況下硫酸鹽氣溶膠如何到達平流層，這點還尚待解釋。而且這也對沙漠西南部順風有所影響，有可能造成降雨量減少。而且硫可能被臭氧保護層被吸收。
So the researchers suggest that we might want to forestall worse heat waves in the future a different way—by cutting back on the greenhouse gas emissions causing global warming.
因此，研究人員建議我們通過另一種不同的方式——減少溫室氣體排放，來抵御下一場糟糕的熱浪。
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