VOA科学技术2023 研究表明温暖的海水正在融化巨大南极洲冰川中的脆弱地区（在线收听）

Study: Warm Water Is Melting Weak Spots in Huge Antarctica Glacier

研究表明温暖的海水正在融化巨大南极洲冰川中的脆弱地区

In two recent studies, researchers say warm water is melting weak areas on Antarctica's huge Thwaites Glacier.

在最近的两项研究中，研究人员表示，温暖的海水正在融化南极洲巨大的Thwaites冰川上的脆弱区域。

Two research papers describing melting recently appeared in the publication Nature.

两篇描述熔化的研究论文最近发表在《自然》杂志上。

The research results came after an investigative effort involving a team of 13 American and British scientists. Teams spent about six weeks on the glacier in late 2019 and early 2020.

这项研究结果是在一个由13名美国和英国科学家组成的团队进行调查后得出的。2019年末和2020年初，团队在冰川上度过了约六周的时间。

The researchers used an underwater robot vehicle equipped with instruments and sensors to collect data. They were able to measure the glacier's grounding line, the place where glacial ice stops being supported by land and starts being supported by water.

研究人员使用了一个配备有仪器和传感器的水下机器人来收集数据。他们能够测量冰川的接地线，即冰川冰停止由陆地支撑而开始由水支撑的地方。

One of the papers was led by Cornell University-based scientist Britney Schmidt. She reported the warmer water was making its way into crevasses and other openings known as terraces, which caused sideways melt of 30 meters or more per year.

其中一篇论文由康奈尔大学科学家布兰妮·施密特领导。她报告说，较温暖的水正在进入裂缝和其他被称为梯田的开口，这导致每年30米或更多的侧向融化。

"Warm water is getting into the weakest parts of the glacier and making it worse," Schmidt told Reuters news agency.

施密特告诉路透社记者：“暖水正在进入冰川最脆弱的部分，并使情况变得更糟。”。

"That is the kind of thing we should all be very concerned about," she said about the latest findings.

“这是我们都应该非常关注的事情，”她在谈到最新发现时表示。

Schmidt's paper said the collapse of the Thwaites Glacier "represents more than half a meter of global sea-level-rise." It could also influence events leading to a three-meter rise in the sea levels over several hundred years.

施密特的论文称，Thwaites冰川的崩塌“代表了全球海平面上升超过半米”。它还可能影响几百年来导致海平面上升三米的事件。

Schmidt also worked on the other paper's findings. That research showed about five meters per year of melt near the glacier's grounding line. This level was less than what the most aggressive thinning scientific potential models had predicted.

施密特还研究了另一篇论文的发现。这项研究显示，冰川接地线附近每年约有5米的冰川融化。这一水平低于最具侵略性的稀疏科学潜力模型所预测的水平。

But Schmidt said the melting was still extremely concerning. "If we observe less melting...that doesn't change the fact that it's retreating," she added.

但施密特表示，熔化仍令人极度担忧。“如果我们观察到较少的融化……这并不能改变它正在后退的事实，”她补充道。

In the past, scientists have depended on satellite images to show the behavior of the ice, making it difficult to get detailed results.

在过去，科学家依靠卫星图像来显示冰的行为，因此很难得到详细的结果。

The papers represent the first time a team has gone to the grounding line of a major glacier, providing a look into where "the action begins," Schmidt said.

施密特说，这些论文代表了一个团队第一次前往主要冰川的接地线，为“行动开始”提供了一个视角。

The findings should help with the development of climate change models, said Paul Cutler. He is the program director of Antarctic Sciences at the National Science Foundation. He examined the papers, but was not involved in the research.

保罗·卡特勒（Paul Cutler）表示，这些发现将有助于开发气候变化模型。他是国家科学基金会南极科学项目主任。他检查了论文，但没有参与研究。

"These things can now be taken on board in the models that will predict the future behavior," Cutler said. "And that was exactly the goal of this work," he added.

卡特勒说：“现在可以在预测未来行为的模型中考虑这些因素。”。“这正是这项工作的目标，”他补充道。

Words in This Story

glacier – n. a very large area of ice that moves slowly down a slope or valley or over a wide area of land

crevasse – n. a deep, wide crack, especially in ice

potential –n. the chance or possibility that something could happen

retreat – v. to go away to a place or situation that is safer or quieter