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We've been using our planet's rivers, lakes and oceans to ship crude oil from place to place since the beginning of oil.
自从发现石油以来，我们一直在利用地球上的河流、湖泊和海洋将原油从一个地方运送到另一个地方。
And while that is an effective way to move thousands of gallons of petroleum around the world, there is of course the risk of oil spills.
虽然这是一种将数千加仑石油运往世界各地的有效方法，但当然也存在石油泄漏的风险。
Those unfortunate events have wreaked havoc on marine ecosystems, bringing to mind images of sinking ships, black beaches, and oil-soaked wildlife.
这些不幸的事件对海洋生态系统造成了严重破坏，让人想起沉没的船只、黑色的海滩和浸透在石油中的野生动物。
International Bird Rescue was founded in 1971, in response to a major oil spill outside of the Golden Gate Bridge - about 800,000 gallons of crude oil spilled.
国际鸟类救援组织成立于1971年，它的成立是为了应对金门大桥外的一次重大漏油事件——大约80万加仑原油的泄漏。
And at the time, there was absolutely no recognized practice of what to do with oiled wildlife and especially oil birds.
当时，对于如何处理被石油污染的野生动物，尤其是鸟类，还没有公认可行的做法。
International Bird Rescue's mission is to inspire people to take action on behalf of the natural world.
国际鸟类救援组织的使命是鼓励人们代表自然世界采取行动。
We do it by rescuing water birds in crisis but we hope that people choose to do it in their every day.
我们通过拯救处于危机中的水鸟来做到这一点，但我们希望人们都能这样做。
We've all seen images of birds affected by spills, the kind of birds the International Bird Rescue aspires to rescue and rehabilitate.
我们都看到过受泄漏影响的鸟类的图片，国际鸟类救援组织希望拯救这种鸟类。
But to really understand why oil is so damaging to seabirds and the urgency in which the International Bird Rescue does their job,
但要真正理解石油为什么会对海鸟造成如此大的破坏，以及国际鸟类救援组织履行职责的紧迫性，
we have to understand the unique physiology of seabirds at the microscopic level.
我们必须从微观层面了解海鸟独特的生理学。
This is an extreme close up of a bird feather.
这是一只鸟羽毛的特写镜头。
And these are the barbs and barbules that when lined up, make these marine animals both waterproof and buoyant.
这些刺排列在一起，能令这些海洋动物既能防水又有浮力。
Obviously important traits for birds that spend their days on the water.
对于那些在水上度过日子的鸟类来说，这显然是一个很重要的特征。
When they have lined up just right, almost like Velcro,
当他们排列得恰到好处时，就像维可牢尼龙搭扣一样，
that will become an impenetrable surface, and that will keep the heat in the water out.
这将成为一个不可穿透的表面，它将阻止水中热量的散发。
And it's the work done with their beak in preening that realigns the little barbs and barbules in the feathers and it is a physical structure of those feathers that makes them waterproof
它们用喙梳理羽毛上的刺，正是这些羽毛的物理结构令它们能够防水，
and that's the really the amazing part of it.
这才是真正令人惊奇的部分。
But it really is more than just waterproofing.
但它的作用不仅仅是防水。
It's about being able to thermoregulate in cold water environments.
这使得它们能够在冷水环境中进行温度调节。
When birds encounter this soil, it affects their feathers ability to line up those bards and barbules.
当鸟类遇到这种脏东西时，它会影响羽毛梳理这些刺的能力。
Oil clumps. You can see that when you pour oil on water or even when you make salad.
油团块。当你把油倒在水上，或者当你做沙拉的时候，你就能看到。
On feathers, it creates a clumping as well where those structures are not, they're wet, they're they're actually stuck almost gummed together.
在羽毛上，它也会形成一团，它们是湿的，它们几乎粘在一起。
The gumming will ultimately prevent the birds from creating their Velcro-like seal.
这种胶状物最终会令鸟类无法弄出维可牢尼龙搭扣般的密封效果。
And it really can be the smallest little spot of contamination can be the end of a bird.
一只鸟身上最小的污染点可能就会致死。
Because waterproofing is so critical to their survival birds will unsuccessfully tried to preen in order to realign their feathers,
因为防水对它们的生存至关重要，鸟类为了重新排列羽毛而试图梳理，但没有成功，
but that preening can lead to the bird ingesting some of the oil, which can also be fatal.
但这种梳理会导致鸟类摄入一些油，这也可能是致命的。
And in fact, one of the things most people don't know is that the birds more covered in oil are more likely to have a positive outcome,
事实上，大多数人不知道的一件事是，那些身上沾满石油的鸟更有可能得到好的处理，
because it's obvious they need help birds that are only oiled in a small patch that's maybe not visible in their feather colors will be out longer,
因为很明显，它们需要帮助。那些只在羽毛颜色上看不到的小块地方沾上油的鸟，它们会死得更快，
it'll be sometimes too late by the time they're they're brought into care.
当它们被送到医院时，有时已经太晚了。
The International Bird Rescue has responded to numerous oil spills worldwide.
国际鸟类救援组织已经对世界范围内的多起漏油事件做出了回应。
After an oil spill occurs, they'll take action to pull the affected animals from the contaminated area and start the cleaning process.
在漏油事故发生后，他们会采取行动把受影响的动物从污染区域拉出来，并开始清理工作。
This not only helps save the animal, but it's also important for the bigger environmental picture.
这不仅有助于拯救动物，而且对大环境也很重要。
