However,in Lakes Nyos and Monoun,there is no regular turning over.No one knows the reason for this fact,but as a result,these lakes have more gases tapped at the bottom than other crater lakes. In fact,scientists who have studied Lakes Nyos and Monoun have found 16,000 times more gases.When a strong wind,cool weather a storm,or a landslide(滑坡)causes the water to turn over suddenly,the gases escape in a violent explosion.
In the past,no one knew when the gases might explode,so there was no way for the villagers to escape disaster. Now scientists from the United States,France,and Cameroon have found a way to reduce the gas pressure at the bottom of Lake Nyos.They stood a 672-foot plastic pipe in the middle of the lake,with one end of the pipe near the bottom and the other end in the air.Near the top of the pipe,the team put several holes that could be opened or closed by a computer.Now,when the gas pressure gets too high,the holes are opened and some of the gas-filled water shoots up through the pipe into the air like a fountain.With less pressure,a disastrous explosion is much less likely.However, the scientists are not sure that one pipe will be enough to prevent explosions.They hope to put in others soon and they plan to install a similar pipe and a computer system at Lake Monoun as well.
To protect people nearby until all of the pipes are in place.the scientists have installed early warning systems at both lakes. If the gas pressure rises to a dangerous level,computers will set off loud sirens(警报)and bright lights to warn the people in the villages.That way, they will have time to escape from the dangerous gases.
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