大峡谷和科罗拉多河，亚利桑那州，美国 Grand Canyon and the Colorado River, Arizona, USA (© Matt Anderson Photography/Getty Images)

一幅壮丽的景象 One grand view

大峡谷国家公园周年纪念

大峡谷国家公园每天都有新的故事，但2月26日这一天格外特别，纪念的是1919年大峡谷正式成为国家公园的历史时刻。这一里程碑式的决定，守护了美国最具代表性的自然奇观。峡谷深处，科罗拉多河缓缓流淌，穿行于层叠的岩石之间，跨越数百英里，以季节为节拍，静静雕刻着峡谷的生命。

对来到这里的游客而言，这个周年纪念是一次放慢节奏、重新发现峡谷的好机会。护林员主持的讲解与活动，带人走进峡谷的地质、野生动物与人文历史。南缘步道上，视野豁然开朗，加州神鹰在头顶滑翔，麋鹿、黑尾鹿和大角羊自在游走于不同生态环境之中。夜晚仰望星空，或驻足观景台，冬季清朗的夜色让一切更显深邃。

Grand Canyon National Park anniversary

Every day at Grand Canyon National Park tells a story, but February 26 is a special one. It marks the Grand Canyon's designation as a national park in 1919, a milestone that helped protect one of the most iconic natural wonders in the United States. At the heart of it all flows the Colorado River, winding for hundreds of miles through layered stone, quietly shaping the canyon one season at a time.

For visitors in the area, the anniversary is a perfect chance to slow down and explore. Ranger-led programs and talks highlight the canyon's geology, wildlife, and cultural history. A walk along the South Rim offers sweeping views where California condors circle overhead, while elk, mule deer, and bighorn sheep roam the park's diverse habitats. Stargazing and scenic overlooks add to the experience, especially during winter's clearer nights.

You don't need to be nearby to take part. The National Park Service provides live webcams from viewpoints across the park, sharing real-time sunrises, weather shifts, and daily rhythms. Whether in Arizona or far away, February 26 is an open invitation to connect with the Grand Canyon in your own way.

雷暴下的大峡谷国家公园，亚利桑那州 Grand Canyon National Park during a thunderstorm, Arizona (© spkeelin/Getty Images)

天气预报的重要性 The importance of weather prediction

World Meteorological Day

Did you check the weather forecast today? Does it look like rain? Will it turn colder? What's the outlook for the weekend? These may be some of the most frequently asked questions anywhere. Given our reliance on weather prediction, let's tip the rain hat to the world's weather experts on World Meteorological Day, celebrated each March 23 by the United Nation's World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The 2022 theme for World Meteorological Day is 'Early Warning and Early Action. Hydrometeorological and Climate Information for Disaster Risk Reduction.' That's a mouthful, but it essentially boils down to the importance of predicting high-precipitation weather events and mitigating or preventing the damage caused by them.

Worldwide, floods cause more than $40 billion in damage each year. They're the most common type of natural disaster. In the United States flash floods claim more lives than tornadoes, hurricanes, or lightning. But with accurate predictions and appropriate warning systems, people living in an area likely to flood can know the severity of upcoming threats and plan accordingly. Thanks to the study of hydrometeorology, forecasts can predict the impact days and even weeks in advance. Long-term projections can even give an idea of what's coming several months from now. And we thought that weather app was just to tell us whether or not we'll need an umbrella.

世界气象日

你看过今天的天气预报了吗？看起来要下雨吗？天气会变冷吗？周末的前景如何？这些可能是任何地方最常被问到的问题之一。鉴于我们对天气预报的依赖，让我们在每年3月23日由联合国世界气象组织（WMO）庆祝的世界气象日向世界气象专家致敬。

2022年世界气象日的主题是“预警和早期行动”。减少灾害风险的水文气象和气候信息。”这是一口空话，但本质上可以归结为预测高降水天气事件以及减轻或防止它们造成的损害的重要性。

在世界范围内，洪水每年造成超过400亿美元的损失。它们是最常见的自然灾害类型。在美国，山洪暴发夺走的生命比龙卷风、飓风或闪电还多。但是，有了准确的预测和适当的预警系统，生活在可能发生洪水的地区的人们可以知道即将到来的威胁的严重性，并据此制定计划。由于对水文气象学的研究，预报可以提前几天甚至几周预测影响。长期预测甚至可以给出几个月后的情况。我们以为天气应用程序只是告诉我们是否需要雨伞。

美国大峡谷北缘的天使之窗，亚利桑那州 Peekaboo view of Angels Window on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Arizona (© Tim Fitzharris/Minden Pictures)

Happy anniversary to the National Park Service!

On the National Park Service's Founders Day, we're here on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona peering out at the stunning vista. Can you see the rectangular hole in the canyon wall near the top of the image? That's Angels Window. Brave hikers can make their way up to the trail above it, but the window itself is best viewed from various points along the North Rim. Far down below is the Colorado River. Beginning about 6 million years ago, it gradually carved downward through countless layers of sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rock. The Colorado and its tributary streams continue to deepen and widen the Grand Canyon even today.

The first national park, not only in the US, but also in the world, was Yellowstone, which was designated as a park in 1872. It was followed by Sequoia, Yosemite, and Mt. Rainier. While the Grand Canyon seems like an obvious choice for a national park, land and mining moguls kept it from becoming protected as a park for years. It finally became a national park in 1919, three years after the National Park Service was created on August 25, 1916. Each year on August 25, Founders Day is celebrated in all the national parks, where entrance fees are waived in honor of the occasion.

祝国家公园管理局周年快乐！

在国家公园管理局的创始人日，我们来到亚利桑那州大峡谷国家公园的北缘，眺望着令人惊叹的美景。你能看到图片顶部附近峡谷壁上的矩形洞吗？那是天使的窗户。勇敢的徒步旅行者可以爬上它上面的小径，但是从北边的各个点上看窗户本身是最好的。下面远处是科罗拉多河。从大约600万年前开始，它逐渐向下切割无数层沉积岩、火成岩和变质岩。即使在今天，科罗拉多河及其支流仍在继续加深和加宽大峡谷。

不仅在美国，而且在世界上，第一个国家公园是黄石公园，它于1872年被指定为公园。随后是红杉、约塞米蒂和雷尼尔山。虽然大峡谷似乎是国家公园的一个明显选择，但土地和矿业巨头多年来一直没有将其作为公园加以保护。1919年，在1916年8月25日国家公园管理局成立三年后，它最终成为了国家公园。每年8月25日，所有国家公园都庆祝创始人日，为纪念这一天免收入场费。

从Toroweap Overlook俯瞰大峡谷和科罗拉多河，亚利桑那州大峡谷国家公园 Grand Canyon and Colorado River from Toroweap Overlook, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (© Matteo Colombo Travel Photo/Shutterstock)

The last thing seen by Wile E. Coyote

We'd say, 'Don't look down,' but that'd kind of be missing the point: Verticality is what put Toroweap Overlook on the map. Situated on the Grand Canyon's elevated north rim, it offers an unmatched view down a sheer 3,000-foot drop straight to the Colorado riverbed.

It's just one of the payoffs for those who take the road less traveled to the remote North Rim—only about 10% of park visitors. Since the 'other side' is about 1,000 feet higher on average than the touristy South Rim, its climate is chillier and given to harsher weather, so it is typically open only from today, May 15, to October 15.