CNN News:厄尔尼诺重创东南亚国家

And we`re taking you around the world for today`s current events.

我们一起来关注一下今日的全球时事。

First up, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, these are some of the countries in Southeast Asia that are suffering under a heatwave and a dangerous drought. Temperatures are rising, over 112 degrees Fahrenheit in some places. That`s setting records.

首先，关注柬埔寨、老挝、新加坡和泰国。这些东南亚的国家正在遭受酷热以及致命的干旱。温度在持续的上升，有的地区的温度已经超过了112华氏度。

In Malaysia, schools are closing and animals are dying. Wells and lakes are drying up. Vegetables are withering.

在马来西亚，学校停课，动物们死亡、湖泊干涸、植物萎蔫。

Same story for crops in Vietnam, with the Mekong River at record low levels. And the Indian government says 330 million people, more than the entire population of the U.S., have been affected by drought.

同样的景象也在越南上演，湄公河水位创历史新低。印度政府表示，约有3.3亿人口受到了干旱的影响，这一数量甚至超过了美国人口。

So, what`s causing all of this?

造成上述现象的原因是什么呢?

Scientists say the blame rests with El Nino. We`ve talked about this natural climate cycle a lot since last year, when it started disrupting normal U.S. weather patterns. This El Nino is tied for the strongest one on record. And even as it weakens and approaches its end, it`s still affecting weather worldwide.

科学家表示，责任要归咎于厄尔尼诺现象。自从去年，我们多次谈论到这一自然气候现象。厄尔尼诺最先影响美国的天气。并且本次的厄尔尼诺现象是历史上最强的一个。即使，其在逐渐减弱并且接近尾声，但它仍对影响着全球的天气。

We`ve heard so much talk about El Nino, but what is it? In fact, it`s a weather phenomenon that happens between the Pacific Ocean and the atmosphere. It can have an influence on the temperature and the weather all over the world.

我们听到太关于厄尔尼诺现象的谈论,但是它到底是什么呢?事实上，厄尔尼诺是一种天气现象，发生在太平洋和大气之间。它可以有一个影响世界各地的温度和天气。

In the springtime, the trade winds start to relax and in a normal year, they come back during the Asian monsoon and the summer. During an El Nino year, they don`t. In fact, some years, the trade winds can even reverse.

春天，信风开始活跃，在正常年份，信风来临时间通常是在亚洲季风和夏天之间。但是在厄尔尼诺年，情况却很反常。实际上，在有些年份，情况甚至完全相反。

That has a huge impact on the Pacific Ocean. During a normal year, warm water is pulled on the west side of the ocean, cooler water on the east side. That results in cooler waters off the coast of California, and warmer waters in the western Pacific.

这就会对太平洋产生重大的影响。在正常年份，温水流向太平洋西部，而冷水流向太平洋东部。这就会导致加州海岸海水温度降低，而西太平洋水域海水温度升高。

During an El Nino year, that thermocline tilt goes away. And so, warm water is spilt all the way over to the east side of the Pacific. That increases convection. It also brings thunderstorms to the coasts of California, and droughts to the western side of the Pacific.

在厄尔尼诺年，温差就会消失。暖水流会流向太平洋东海岸。导致对流增加。最终导致加州海岸出现暴风雨，而太平洋西海岸则会出现干旱现象。

We all know that El Nino will impact the world. The only question is, how will it affect you?

我们都知道厄尔尼诺现象对世界产生影响。但问题是，它是如何施加影响的呢?