Beijing is sinking. Excessive pumping of groundwater is causing the geology under the city to collapse, according to a new study using satellite imagery that reveals parts of Beijing – particularly its central business district – are subsiding each year by as much as 11 centimetres, or more than four inches.
帝都在下沉。一项利用卫星图像所做的最新研究显示，过度抽取地下水正在导致这座城市的地下结构趋于瓦解，北京的部分地区——特别是CBD区域——正以每年11厘米或者逾4英寸的速度下沉。
The authors of the study warn that continued subsidence poses a safety threat to the city of more than 2o million, with "a strong impact on train operations" one of the predictions.
该研究的作者们发出警告，持续不断的下沉正对这座有2千多万人口的城市带来安全威胁，其中的一项预测是“会对火车运行造成严重影响”。
The study on Beijing's subsidence has been published in the peer-reviewed journal Remote Sensing and is based on InSAR, a type of radar that monitors land elevation changes. It was written by a team of seven researchers, including three who explained their findings to the Guardian: Chinese academics Chen Mi [Capital Normal University, China] and Li Zhenhong [Newcastle University, UK], and Spanish engineer Roberto Tomas [University of Alicante, Spain].
这项关于北京下沉的研究已经发表在《遥感（Remote Sensing）》杂志上，其研究基础是可监测地面升降变化的合成孔径雷达干涉技术（InSAR）。文章由一个七人研究人员小组撰写而成，其中来自首都师范大学的陈蜜（音）、英国纽卡斯尔大学的李振洪（音）和西班牙阿利坎特大学的罗伯托·托马斯（Roberto Tomas）三人还向《卫报》解释了他们的研究发现。
Beijing sits in a dry plain where groundwater has accumulated over millennia. As wells are drilled and the water table drops, the underlying soil compacts, much like a dried-out sponge.
北京位于一片干旱的平原上，地下水已在此累积千年。随着钻井活动导致地下水位下降，下层土壤正变得密实，就像失水的海绵一样。
The study finds that the entire city is sinking but the subsidence is most pronounced in Beijing's Chaoyang district, which has boomed since 1990 with skyscrapers, ringroads and other development. The researchers say the uneven nature of the subsidence in some areas poses risks to buildings and other infrastructure.
研究发现整座北京城都在下沉，而朝阳区的情况最为严重。自1990年以来，朝阳区蓬勃发展，建起大批摩天楼、环路和其他开发项目。研究人员称，一些地区下沉程度的不均衡会为建筑物以及其它基础设施带来风险。
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