| 查看: 622 | 回复: 4 | |||
| 当前只显示满足指定条件的回帖，点击这里查看本话题的所有回帖 | |||
sgh_119至尊木虫 (职业作家)
|
[交流]
【Pure water】Whales getting sunburnt 'because of holes in the ozone layer'
|
||
|
It's not just holidaymakers who need to keep covered up in the sun. Scientists have discovered that a growing number of whales are suffering from sunburn - and that the hole in the ozone layer could be to blame. The findings come from a study of 156 blue, fin and sperm whales swimming in the Gulf of California. Researchers have long known that whales suffer blisters on their backs. However the reason why they have lesions has been a mystery - until now. After analysing the sores on high resolution photographs and studying whale skin samples in the laboratory, a team of British and Mexican researchers now believe they are caused by acute sunburn. Dr Laura Martinez–Levasseur, of the Zoological Society of London, said: 'Whales need to come to the surface to breathe air, to socialise and to feed their young, meaning that they are frequently exposed to the full force of the sun.' Blue whales, who have fairer skin than most whales, suffered more than the darker fin whales, she reports in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Sperm whales, which spend more time than other species at the surface, were also vulnerable. The increase in sunburn appears to be worst for blue whales, the study found. In 2007, just six out of 48 blue whales had sunburn. By 2009, 15 out of 22 whales studied were suffering. 'The increase in skin damage seen in blue whales is a matter of concern, but at this stage it is not clear what is causing this increase,' Dr Martinez-Levasseur said. 'A likely candidate is rising ultraviolet radiation as a result of either ozone depletion, or a change in the level of cloud cover.' Her co-author Professor Edel O'Toole, from Queen Mary, said: “As we would expect to see in humans, the whale species that spent more ‘time in the sun’ suffered greater sun damage. 'We predict that whales will experience more severe sun damage if ultraviolet radiation continues to increase.” The researchers are unsure whether the lesions are painful - and whether sunburn increases the risk of skin cancer in whales. One reason for the rise in sunburn could be the hole in the ozone layer - the protective layer that shields the Earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. Since the 1970s, scientists have known that the protective layer is being depleted by manmade gases, in particularly the CFCs once used in aerosols. Although CFCs have been banned, the ozone layer is still being depleted from gases released many years ago, and holes exist above both poles. |
回复此楼» 猜你喜欢
290调剂生物0860
已经有26人回复
-
2本，初试303，0860求调剂
已经有7人回复
-
材料工程281还有调剂机会吗
已经有28人回复
-
一志愿浙大生物325分求调剂
已经有5人回复
-
344 材料专业 求调剂211 无地域要求
已经有6人回复
-
一志愿085802 323分求调剂
已经有10人回复
-
一志愿哈工大 085600 277 12材科基求调剂
已经有26人回复
-
339求调剂
已经有8人回复
-
材料考研调剂
已经有28人回复
-
调剂求收留
已经有27人回复
3楼2010-11-12 03:26:15
greenyangli
新虫 (小有名气)
- 应助: 0 (幼儿园)
- 金币: 373
- 散金: 120
- 红花: 2
- 帖子: 88
- 在线: 71小时
- 虫号: 1122466
- 注册: 2010-10-14
- 性别: MM
- 专业: 环境微生物学
4楼2010-11-12 14:23:00
5楼2010-11-12 20:49:48
