新奇事件簿 北极冰层加快融化

The Arctic¹ ice is melting at a dangerous speed and may completely disappear by the end of this century. This is according to scientists at America’s National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC). Experts said recent satellite images showed the volume of sea ice was the lowest it has ever been. An area five times larger than the UK has disappeared since 1978 and the melting is getting faster. This year was the warmest Arctic summer in 400 years. Dr. Mark Serreze from the NSIDC said the worrying trend of melting ice caps is because of global warming.

北极冰层正在以加速融化，或将在本世纪末彻底消失。这是“美国国家冰雪数据中心”得出的结论。据研究专家表示，通过近期卫星图像显示，北极海冰覆盖面创历史新低。自1978年以来，超英国国土面积五倍多的冰雪开始融化，且速度逐渐加快。北极遭遇400年来最温暖夏天。来自“冰雪数据中心”的马克·赛瑞兹博士表示，冰层融化速度因全球变暖而起。

The NSIDC’s leader Dr. Ted² Scambos said the Arctic Circle is melting so quickly that it may never recover. He said the Arctic is caught in a dangerous process that man cannot reverse³. Less sea ice means the Earth cannot reflect the suns rays and cool itself. Warmer seas then melt more ice. The loss of sea ice in one year increases the loss in the next year. Current ice loss is estimated⁴ at eight percent per decade. This means there may be no ice at all during the Arctic summer of 2060. Dr. Scambos warned: “It is pretty certain a long-term decline⁵ is underway.”

“美国国家冰雪数据中心”主任泰德·斯坎姆波斯表示，因北极圈融化速度太快，或将无法修复。称北极正遭遇危险，且人力无法回天。因海冰覆盖面减少，导致地球无法反射太阳光降温。随着海水温度升高，冰面融化速度加快。每年消失的冰面会增加下一年融化可能性。预计现阶段融化速度为每十年8%。这就意味着到2060年，北极夏季将永无冰面。斯坎姆波斯博士警告称：“冰面正在慢慢融化，且周期很长，这点已确定无疑。”

1 Arctic   

adj.北极的；n.北极

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• The sort of animal lived in the Arctic Circle.这种动物生活在北极圈里。

2 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

3 reverse   

v.推翻，颠倒，反向；n.反面，逆境；adj.反向的

参考例句：

• His answer was just the reverse of what I expected.他的回答正好与我期望的相反。
• Please reverse the positions of two pictures.请把两张图片的位置倒转过来。

4 estimated   

adj．根据估计的

参考例句：

• She estimated the breadth of the lake to be 500 metres. 她估计湖面大约有500米宽。
• The man estimated for the repair of the car. 那人估算了修理汽车的费用。

5 decline   

n.衰微，跌落，下降；vt.使降低，婉谢；vi.下降，衰落，偏斜

参考例句：

• I must decline to show favour to any of the candidates.我必须拒绝偏袒任何一位候选人。
• The birthrate is on the decline.出生率在下降。