国家地理杂志2011年度十佳自然图片

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.

海啸　

从日本到斯里兰卡再到智利，过去几年发生的海啸给人类造成浩劫，很多人被海啸夺取生命，所造成的财产损失更是一个惊人数字。地震研究的发现帮助科学家更准确地预测海啸，但世界上很多地区都未安装海啸预警系统。照片展示了2004年海啸过后斯里兰卡的沿岸景象，此时的海水已经退却。这场海啸由袭击印度尼西亚和印度安达曼群岛的9级大地震引发。

（部分内容来自腾讯教育）

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.

彩色海洋动物

所有潜水爱好者都知道，海洋里到处都是色彩绚烂的动物，令人感到吃惊。它们的体色有的形成错综复杂的答案，有的充当一种伪装，有的甚至可以改变透明度。图片展示的是一只白色海葵和一只海星，在加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省海域拍摄。其他令人着迷的彩色动物还包括小丑鱼、刺蝶鱼和螳螂虾。

Megafishes

Giant freshwater fish from around the world clock in as 2011's most popular environment gallery on nationalgeographic.com. 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.

巨型淡水鱼　

在2011年美国《国家地理杂志》网站的环境图集中，巨型淡水鱼的照片成为最大热门。由于过度捕捞、环境污染以及人类活动导致的栖息地减少，巨型淡水鱼的数量不断萎缩，它们的命运成为淡水生态系统物种的一个写照。

《国家地理杂志》的探险家泽布-霍甘曾对很多巨型淡水鱼进行研究并拍摄照片。包括中国鲟鱼在内的一些淡水鱼都是“活化石”，在数百万年的岁月变迁中，它们几乎未发生任何改变。照片展示的是一条巨滑舌鱼，在巴西马瑙斯的一个水族馆拍摄。这种南美巨型鱼的身长可超过10英尺(约合3米)，体重超过400磅(约合180公斤)。与《国家地理杂志》图集中展现的其他巨型淡水鱼一样，巨滑舌鱼也是一个保护重点。为了拯救野外的巨型淡水鱼，保护人员需要与时间赛跑。

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.

巨型海洋动物　

巨型淡水鱼的体型给人留下深刻印象，但与鲸鱼、巨型水母等海洋中的巨兽相比，它们只能算是一个小个子。照片展示的是一只狮鬃水母，直径达到6.6英尺(约合2米)，触须长度超过49英尺(约合15米)。世界上体型最大的鱼类鲸鲨，身长可达到40英尺(约合12米)。世界上最大的哺乳动物蓝鲸的身长与一辆巴士相当，体重接近200吨。一些巨蛤的体重超过500磅(约合227公斤)，寿命超过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　

人类长久以来就对火山充满好奇，在很多文化的神话传说中，火山都占有一席之地。用镜头记录下火山令人敬畏的力量绝非一项容易的任务，拍摄过程危险重重，需要摄影师具备出色的胆识和勇气。照片展示的塞莫火山是印度尼西亚爪哇岛海拔最高的火山，四周被婆罗摩火山、巴托克火山等较小的火山环绕。自1967年以来，塞莫火山便一直处于喷发状态。最近，世界上的其他一些火山也开始喷发，其中包括夏威夷大岛的火山、意大利的埃特纳火山以及埃塞俄比亚的火山。

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.

龙卷风　

龙卷风具有很大的破坏性，提醒人们大自然拥有怎样令人敬畏的力量。这幅照片在美国德克萨斯州拍摄，展现了柴尔德里斯上空出现的罕见云型，彷佛一艘空中的航空母舰。这种云的出现预示着一场超大胞雷雨。超大胞雷雨经常引发龙卷风，风速可超过每小时200英里(约合每小时322公里)。龙卷风通常在宽阔的陆地和海洋上空形成。