英科學家將建超大氮氣球給地球降溫

It may sound like the crazed plan of a James Bond but scientists are working on a way to artificially cool the planet by reflecting sunlight away from the Earth.
　　科學家正致力研究人工降低地球溫度的方法，他們試圖將射向地球的太陽光線反射出去。這聽起來真像是詹姆斯·邦德的瘋狂計劃。

In a largely theoretical field known as geo-engineering, a team of British academics is about to announce a world-first with plans to field test an artificial volcano as a solution to global warming. The concept is based on the cooling effect of volcano eruptions on the atmosphere.

一隊英國學者打算實地操作試驗，利用人造火山解決全球升溫，這是世界地球工程學界的第一次嘗試。此觀念基於火山爆發對大氣的冷卻作用。

The eventual plan is for a helium balloon. It is anticipated that the helium balloon would have to be roughly the size of Wembley Stadium and tethered 14 miles above the Earth by a giant hose to contain the amount of chemicals required. It is hoped that the droplets of sulphates and aerosol particles will reflect the sun's energy back into space, preventing it from heating the earth.

最終決定建造一個和溫布利體育場一樣大的氦氣球，由大軟管拴在距地表14英里處，以控制化學需求總額。他們希望硫酸鹽液滴和氣霧粒子能夠將太陽的能量反射回太空，以防止地球變暖。

Before embarking on the full project, the team will conduct feasibility tests with a miniature version. At a secret location a smaller balloon will float more than half a mile above the ground pumping water into the atmosphere, so the team can study the impact of spraying particles directly into the atmosphere.

着手整個計劃之前，學者們將進行一次小型可行性試驗。在一個祕密地點，一個小型氦氣球將飛離地面半英里多，抽運水分入大氣，小組從而研究氣霧粒子直接進入大氣的影響。

'We're looking at a balloon which is possibly 100-200m in diameter. It's about the same size as Wembley stadium,' Hugh Hunt, anOxford engineering lecturer, told The Guardian. 'The nice thing about it is that we can really have a knob, if you like, which we can control to adjust the rate at which we inject these particles.'

牛津大學工程講師休·亨特告訴《英國衛報》說：“我們正在尋找一個直徑約100到200米的氣球，差不多和溫布利球場一樣大。非常棒的是我們真的可以得到一個能控制調節粒子注入大氣速率的大球體。”

The tests, scheduled for October, are not expected to have any environmental impact but environment groups in Britain and the U.S. said it could affect rainfall and harm food supplies potentially.

試驗定在十月，預計不會對環境產生影響。但是一些美英環保團體認爲最終的系統部署可能潛在影響降雨和食品供應。

Among the objections to solar radiation management （SRM） is the fact that it would have no effect on dissipating the build up of CO2 in the atmosphere, which leads to the acidification of our seas, says Friends of the Earth.

在一片對“太陽輻射管理（SRM）”的異議中，地球之友（美國一環保組織）指出：此舉可能對驅散大氣中二氧化碳沒有任何作用，反而會導致海洋酸化。