New Zealand Records Warmest-Ever June as Ski Resorts Struggle
2021-07-11
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1New Zealand finished its warmest June on record.
2Experts say they expect the warming trend to continue and predict the country will experience shorter winters in the future.
3The average temperature in June was 10.6 degrees Celsius, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, or NIWA, reported this week.
4That was 2 degrees Celsius above the 30-year average for June.
5It is also more than 0.3 degrees Celsius higher than previous records set in 2003 and 2014.
6Record-keeping began in 1909.
7Gregor Macara is a climate scientist at the government-run NIWA.
8He told The Associated Press that one reason for the record was an increase in winds coming from the warmer north, rather than the Antarctic south.
9In addition, ocean temperatures are unusually warm.
10Macara added that while the weather might change from month to month, "the underlying trend is of increasing temperatures and overall warming."
11The average temperature in New Zealand has increased by about 1 degree Celsius over the past 100 years, Macara said.
12If this trend continues, people can expect later and warmer winters, followed by earlier springs.
13The situation is putting pressure on ski resorts a week away from when many students take their winter school holidays.
14Photographs from several of the larger resorts showed rocks and earth under only a little bit of snow.
15Some resorts have used snowmaking machines to open some runs, but many lifts remain closed.
16Paul Anderson is the head of NZSki, which operates Coronet Peak, Mt. Hutt and The Remarkables ski resorts.
17"We'd always like a bit more snow on the ground," he said.
18"But we've got some good snow arriving tomorrow, and then a cool four or five days for snowmaking."
19Anderson said his company has been dealing with the changing weather by investing in more snowmaking equipment and ski lifts that can handle high winds.
20"It's really clear that climate change is a reality. You can't argue with that science," Anderson said.
21"But it is over a very long period of time."
22Some farmers are happy with the warmer weather.
23Jim Galloway is with the advocacy group Federated Farmers.
24He told the AP this year "has been a godsend."
25The warmer weather and rain has finally permitted some grass to grow, providing food for sheep and cows, he said.
26His area has experienced two years of drought conditions.
27"It's helped a lot, but there's a long way to go," Galloway said.
28"There's not a lot of ground water. The dams are still empty, basically."
29Galloway added that droughts are nothing new for farmers.
30But he worries that a warming climate is making them happen more often.
31I'm Dan Novak.
1New Zealand finished its warmest June on record. Experts say they expect the warming trend to continue and predict the country will experience shorter winters in the future. 2The average temperature in June was 10.6 degrees Celsius, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, or NIWA, reported this week. That was 2 degrees Celsius above the 30-year average for June. It is also more than 0.3 degrees Celsius higher than previous records set in 2003 and 2014. Record-keeping began in 1909. 3Gregor Macara is a climate scientist at the government-run NIWA. He told The Associated Press that one reason for the record was an increase in winds coming from the warmer north, rather than the Antarctic south. In addition, ocean temperatures are unusually warm. 4Macara added that while the weather might change from month to month, "the underlying trend is of increasing temperatures and overall warming." 5The average temperature in New Zealand has increased by about 1 degree Celsius over the past 100 years, Macara said. If this trend continues, people can expect later and warmer winters, followed by earlier springs. 6The situation is putting pressure on ski resorts a week away from when many students take their winter school holidays. Photographs from several of the larger resorts showed rocks and earth under only a little bit of snow. Some resorts have used snowmaking machines to open some runs, but many lifts remain closed. 7Paul Anderson is the head of NZSki, which operates Coronet Peak, Mt. Hutt and The Remarkables ski resorts. 8"We'd always like a bit more snow on the ground," he said. "But we've got some good snow arriving tomorrow, and then a cool four or five days for snowmaking." 9Anderson said his company has been dealing with the changing weather by investing in more snowmaking equipment and ski lifts that can handle high winds. 10"It's really clear that climate change is a reality. You can't argue with that science," Anderson said. "But it is over a very long period of time." 11Some farmers are happy with the warmer weather. 12Jim Galloway is with the advocacy group Federated Farmers. He told the AP this year "has been a godsend." 13The warmer weather and rain has finally permitted some grass to grow, providing food for sheep and cows, he said. His area has experienced two years of drought conditions. 14"It's helped a lot, but there's a long way to go," Galloway said. "There's not a lot of ground water. The dams are still empty, basically." 15Galloway added that droughts are nothing new for farmers. But he worries that a warming climate is making them happen more often. 16I'm Dan Novak. 17Nick Perry reported this story for The Associated Press. Dan Novak adapted for VOA Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. 18____________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20trend - n. the general direction in which something appears to be headed 21underlying - adj. used to identify the idea, cause, problem, etc., that forms the basis of something 22resort - n. a place where people go for vacations 23godsend - n. something good that happens unexpectedly, usually when you really need it 24drought - n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain