A research team led by Hellenic Meteorological Service scientist Christos Zerefus focuses on the cooling effect as opposed to the greenhouse effect. They believe that rising levels of dust in the atmosphere, caused by both natural and anthropogenic causes, will prevent sunlight from entering the atmosphere, leading to global darkening. At the same time, the Earth's surface receives less heat, resulting in a cooling effect.
"Scientists have always believed that the world's major volcanic eruptions are the natural cause of global darkening," Zelefus said. To prove this idea, scientists have done a lot of research. ”
Unlike other research projects, Zelefus's research team was inspired by world-famous paintings. Their findings have been published in the quarterly journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Atmospheric Physics.
To improve the accuracy of the study, Zerefus' research team collected 554 sunset paintings and watercolors. These paintings were painted by 181 famous painters, including the French impressionist painter Degas, the Austrian painter Klimt, the Dutch painter Boumram, and the German court painter Rubens.
They finally selected the works of five painters, including Turner, for further study, because many of these five painters' sunset works were created at the same time as the major volcanic eruptions in history, which can reflect the changes in atmospheric conditions before and after the eruptions.
The sunset is deepening
Zelefus believes that this is the first time in the world that a work of art has been used as a clue to conduct scientific research on climate change.
He told reporters that when he first admired Turner's paintings, the researchers only felt that the colors of the sunset in the works were different shades. Referring to the time when the work was created, they found that the change in the color of the sunset was strikingly similar to the age of major volcanic eruptions in history. In particular, before and after the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia in 1883, the color of the sunset in the paintings changed significantly.
"The reason why I focus on Turner's work is that he was working at a time when he experienced three major volcanic eruptions," says Zerefus, "and the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia, which clouded the sky with billowing smoke, led to crop failures and global famine." The other two eruptions were the eruption of Mount Babuyan Claro in the Philippines in 1831 and the eruption of Mount Cos Guina in Nicaragua in 1835. According to common sense, the higher the atmospheric dust content, the darker the red color of the sunset. After these three eruptions, the color of the sunset in Turner's work suddenly deepened. ”
Expand the sample
"We chose the work of these painters because they were realistic depictions of nature," Zelefus said. For example, Turner once said, 'My work is a true representation of nature'. Each painter has a different style, but the use of color in their work is representative of real natural scenes. These works document the process of climate change. ”
In fact, there is a precedent in the scientific community for using works of art to analyze climate change. John Toning, a meteorologist at the University of Birmingham, said that scientists had used Monet's depiction of the London smog to prove the pollution of the atmosphere by the Industrial Revolution, and had also used Van Gogh's famous painting "Starry Night" to analyze the stars in the night sky.
However, Toning also said: "Some painters depict real natural scenes, while others incorporate their own emotions into their works. To ensure the accuracy of scientific research, scientists should refer to the works of multiple artists of the same period, rather than to a single painter. ”
In response to the comments, the Zelefus research team is in talks with a museum in London to expand the scope of research by studying 40 20th-century sunset paintings in its collection. (November 30, 2007, Xinhuanet, abridged)
5. The following understanding of "alternative research" in the article is incorrect: ( )
A. The object of "alternative research" is the "cooling effect";
B. "Alternative research" is "alternative" because it takes unconventional research methods;
C. "Alternative research" is "alternative" because its research methods are not agreed upon in the scientific community;
D. "Alternative Studies" is "alternative" because it studies the "alternative works" of some "alternative painters".
6. One of the following expressions does not conform to the meaning of the original text
A. Zelefus and other scientists have always believed that the world's major volcanic eruptions are the natural cause of global darkening.
B. Scientists believe that many of the sunset works by Turner and other five painters can reflect the changes in the atmosphere before and after the eruption.
C. Zelefus is the world's first scientist to use artwork as a clue to conduct scientific research on climate change.
D. Three volcanic eruptions in 1815, 1831, and 1835 all caused global darkness.
7. Based on the information in the original text, one of the following inferences is correct:
A. Rising dust levels in the atmosphere will lead to global darkening, and afforestation to prevent sandstorms will effectively curb global darkening.
B. Impressionist painters such as Turner valued the realistic depiction of natural scenes when they created.
C. Monet created oil paintings of urban landscapes during the Industrial Revolution.
D. Zelefus's research will provide an important basis for the study of volcanic eruption cycles.
5. D [Analysis] The expression of item D is not in accordance with the context. Zelefus's study is called "alternative research" because it uses unconventional research methods and there is no consensus among scientists, and whether or not the painters and their works he chooses can be called "alternative" cannot be the reason why the study is called "alternative".
This question tests students' ability to understand the meaning of important concepts in the text. The competency level is B. In order to correctly understand the "important concepts" in the text, it is necessary to carefully read the original text, carefully compare the options, and see if the basis for the options can be found in the text.
6. C [Analysis] The content of item C is only Zelefus's personal opinion, and counter-evidence can be found below: scientists have used Monet's depiction of the London Fog to prove the pollution of the atmosphere by the Industrial Revolution, and have also used Van Gogh's famous painting "Starry Night" to analyze the starry phase of the night sky.
【Analysis】This question focuses on the ability to screen and integrate information in the text, and the ability level is C. When answering the questions, you should first understand the information expressed in the options correctly and comprehensively, and then go back to the original text to see if you can find the basis and whether there is any evidence to the contrary.
7. C [Analysis] Item A, sand and dust storms cannot cause a global "increase in atmospheric dust content", and will not cause a global "global darkening"; therefore, afforestation is directly related to the containment of global darkening. B, whether Turner belonged to the Impressionist painters, does not have a basis in the original text. William Turner (1775-1851), a famous British landscape painter, is a representative of the British academic painters in the first half of the 19th century, and is known together with John Constable as "the two people who really made English landscape painting free from the influence of Dutch, French or Italian painting and embarked on their own independent path". His special contribution to the history of art is to put landscape painting on an equal footing with history painting and portraiture. D, the data on volcanic eruptions is an important basis for Zerefus's research, and his research cannot in turn provide an important basis for the study of volcanic eruption cycles.