國家地理:年度十佳自然圖片

Tsunamis

From Japan to Sri Lanka and Chile, tsunamis have wreaked havoc in the past few years, leaving a staggering toll of death and destruction in their frothy wake.

Seismic studies have helped scientists get better at predicting their arrival, although tsunami warning systems are still lacking in many parts of the world.

Pictured are waters retreating from the coast of Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami, which had been triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia and the Indian Andaman Islands.

海嘯　

從日本到斯里蘭卡再到智利，過去幾年發生的海嘯給人類造成浩劫，很多人被海嘯奪取生命，所造成的財產損失更是一個驚人數字。地震研究的發現幫助科學家更準確地預測海嘯，但世界上很多地區都未安裝海嘯預警系統。照片展示了2004年海嘯過後斯里蘭卡的沿岸景象，此時的海水已經退卻。這場海嘯由襲擊印度尼西亞和印度安達曼羣島的9級大地震引發。

（部分內容來自騰訊教育）

Colorful Sea Creatures

As divers and snorkelers well know, the oceans are filled with creatures that come in a bewildering array of colors. This includes intricate patterns, camouflage, and even varying degrees of transparency. Pictured is a white sea anemone and a sea star in the waters off British Columbia. Other colorful favorites include clown fish, angelfish, and mantis shrimp.

彩色海洋動物

所有潛水愛好者都知道，海洋裏到處都是色彩絢爛的動物，令人感到吃驚。它們的體色有的形成錯綜複雜的答案，有的充當一種僞裝，有的甚至可以改變透明度。圖片展示的是一隻白色海葵和一隻海星，在加拿大不列顛哥倫比亞省海域拍攝。其他令人着迷的彩色動物還包括小丑魚、刺蝶魚和螳螂蝦。

Megafishes

Giant freshwater fish from around the world clock in as 2011's most popular environment gallery on . Increasingly rare because of fishing, pollution, and loss of habitat due to human activity, these so-called megafishes can be indicator species of aquatic ecoystems.

National Geographic Explorer Zeb Hogan has wrangled, photographed, and studied many of these freshwater monsters. Some, like the Chinese sturgeon, are "living fossils" that have changed little over millions of years.

Pictured is an arapaima fish at an aquarium in Manaus, Brazil. This South American giant can reach lengths of more than 10 feet (3 meters) and weigh upwards of 400 pounds (180 kilograms).

Like several megafish species in our gallery, the arapaima is the focus of conservation projects, which may be racing against time to save these animals in the wild.

巨型淡水魚　

在2011年美國《國家地理雜誌》網站的環境圖集中，巨型淡水魚的照片成爲最大熱門。由於過度捕撈、環境污染以及人類活動導致的棲息地減少，巨型淡水魚的數量不斷萎縮，它們的命運成爲淡水生態系統物種的一個寫照。

《國家地理雜誌》的探險家澤布-霍甘曾對很多巨型淡水魚進行研究並拍攝照片。包括中國鱘魚在內的一些淡水魚都是“活化石”，在數百萬年的歲月變遷中，它們幾乎未發生任何改變。照片展示的是一條巨滑舌魚，在巴西馬瑙斯的一個水族館拍攝。這種南美巨型魚的身長可超過10英尺(約合3米)，體重超過400磅(約合180公斤)。與《國家地理雜誌》圖集中展現的其他巨型淡水魚一樣，巨滑舌魚也是一個保護重點。爲了拯救野外的巨型淡水魚，保護人員需要與時間賽跑。

Colossal Sea Creatures

Although megafish are impressive, even bigger organisms ply the world's oceans, from the great whales to sprawling jellyfish. A powerful stinger, the lion's mane jellyfish (pictured) can reach a diameter of 6.6 feet (2 meters), with tentacles topping 49 feet (15 meters).

The world's biggest fish, the whale shark, can reach lengths of 40 feet (12 meters). The world's biggest mammal, the blue whale, can easily reach the length of a city bus and weigh close to 200 tons.

Also tipping the scales are giant clams, which can weigh more than 500 pounds (227 kilograms) and live for more than a hundred years.

巨型海洋動物　

巨型淡水魚的體型給人留下深刻印象，但與鯨魚、巨型水母等海洋中的巨獸相比，它們只能算是一個小個子。照片展示的是一隻獅鬃水母，直徑達到6.6英尺(約合2米)，觸鬚長度超過49英尺(約合15米)。世界上體型最大的魚類鯨鯊，身長可達到40英尺(約合12米)。世界上最大的哺乳動物藍鯨的身長與一輛巴士相當，體重接近200噸。一些巨蛤的體重超過500磅(約合227公斤)，壽命超過100年。

Volcanoes

Humanity has long been fascinated with volcanoes, working them into myths and legends in many cultures. Photographing nature's awesome power is no easy task and can be Dangerous.

Mount Semeru, seen with an ash plume, is the highest volcano on the Indonesian island of Java, where it is surrounded by the smaller volcanoes Mount Bromo and Mount Batok. Mount Semeru has been in a constant state of eruption since 1967.

Other volcanoes have also put on recent shows, from the Big Island of Hawaii to Mount Etna in Italy and boiling mud pools in Ethiopia.

火山　

人類長久以來就對火山充滿好奇，在很多文化的神話傳說中，火山都佔有一席之地。用鏡頭記錄下火山令人敬畏的力量絕非一項容易的任務，拍攝過程危險重重，需要攝影師具備出色的膽識和勇氣。照片展示的塞莫火山是印度尼西亞爪哇島海拔最高的火山，四周被婆羅摩火山、巴托克火山等較小的火山環繞。自1967年以來，塞莫火山便一直處於噴發狀態。最近，世界上的其他一些火山也開始噴發，其中包括夏威夷大島的火山、意大利的埃特納火山以及埃塞俄比亞的火山。

Tornadoes

Tornadoes can be devastating, potent reminders of the awesome power of nature. In this photo, a rare "mother ship" cloud formation is seen over Childress,Texas. This is a sign of a supercell thunderstorm, a type of storm that often kicks off tornadoes with winds exceeding 200 miles an hour (322 kilometers an hour). Tornadoes can form over wide swaths of land and sea.

龍捲風　

龍捲風具有很大的破壞性，提醒人們大自然擁有怎樣令人敬畏的力量。這幅照片在美國德克薩斯州拍攝，展現了柴爾德里斯上空出現的罕見雲型，彷佛一艘空中的航空母艦。這種雲的出現預示着一場超大胞雷雨。超大胞雷雨經常引發龍捲風，風速可超過每小時200英里(約合每小時322公里)。龍捲風通常在寬闊的陸地和海洋上空形成。

Spring Landscapes

Most living things are tied into the rhythm of the seasons, whether they live in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere or even right on the equator, where cyles of moisture tend to dominate more than insolation. Spring, of course, is a time of rebirth and rapid growth, as this placid scene at the Chicago Botanical Garden suggests. Spring brings a dizzing assortment of flowers and active animals, each filling its own ecological niche.

春日景色　

絕大多數生物的興衰都遵循着季節變化週期，不管它們生活在北半球、南半球還是赤道地區。溼度的變化週期對生物的影響超過光照。春季是重生和快速生長的季節，照片呈現的芝加哥植物園景象就足以說明這一點。隨着春季的帶來，無論是動物還是植物都散發出勃勃生機，在各自的小生境茁壯成長。

Summer

Summer is often a time of plenty for wildlife and people alike. Fireflies decorate the skies, bees buzz on flowers, and fresh watermelon is sliced.

Here, two swimmers play in the storied waves of Bronte Beach off Sydney, Australia.

夏日景象　

夏季是很多人和野生動物最喜歡的季節。螢火蟲裝點着夜空，蜜蜂在花叢中飛來飛去採蜜，各種瓜果享之不盡。這幅照片在澳大利亞悉尼的勃朗特海灘海域拍攝，兩名游泳愛好者正在海中暢遊。

Dangerous Sea Creatures

They may be beautiful, but these sea creatures can be deadly.

It may look harmless enough, but the striped surgeonfish of the Indo-Pacific sports a venomous spine. Scientists estimate that 50,000 people are injured a year from contact with the world's 1,200 species of venomous fish. The poisons are also being investigated for use in new drugs. Other sea creatures that can pack a punch include the stinging yellow sea anemone, "flying" needlefish that become airborne daggers, and, of course, great white sharks.

危險的海洋動物　

一些海洋動物看起來雖然很美，但卻帶有致命性。照片展示了印度洋-太平洋海域的刺尾魚，身上佈滿條紋，表面上一副不會對人構成威脅的模樣。據科學家估計，每年有多達5萬人在接觸世界上1200種有毒魚類後遭受損傷。科學家正對它們的毒素進行研究，以用於研製新藥。除了有毒動物外，其他一些海洋動物同樣具有危險性，例如長滿刺的黃色海葵、頜針魚以及大白鯊，其中的頜針魚就像是一把飛行的匕首。

Deep-Sea Creatures

Not surprisingly, human beings have rarely encountered the animals that dwell in the world's deep oceans in total darkness and under intense pressure. But recent expeditions, often with the aid of robots, have give us a new glimpse into the watery depths. It turns out that the adaptions that have allowed such species to thrive there make them resemble the stuff of our nightmares.

Considered living fossils, frilled sharks normally live at depths up to 5,000 feet (1,500 meters). This 5.3-foot (1.6-meter) specimen was found in shallow water in Japan in 2007, though like many deep-sea creatures, it died shortly after finding its way to the surface. A species with an even more terrifying appearance, the fangtooth fish, has been found at depths near 16,500 feet (5,000 meters).

深海動物　

照片展示的是皺鰓鯊，被稱之爲活化石，通常生活在海底5000英尺(約合1500米)的深度。這頭鯊魚體長5.3英尺(約合1.6米)，是2007年在日本海域發現的。與很多深海動物一樣，皺鰓鯊在來到海面後不久便死亡。